You do not forget the smell. It is literally sulfurous, as in containing hydrogen sulfide. It is the smell of rotting eggs or vegetables.
It is a smell that many who work and live in Bridgeton—and beyond—have come to reckon with, as it is currently issuing from the Bridgeton Sanitary Landfill, just west of Interstate 270 along St. Charles Rock Road.
Much of it depends on the way the wind blows. If the landfill is having a particularly smelly day (the Missouri Department of Natural Resources actually issues “odor alerts”), the people in the area are simply at the mercy of the breeze.
By now, you have probably heard about the smell. It is the hearty aroma that rises from the earth where 320 vertical feet of our own garbage reposes uneasily. It is the result of accelerated underground decomposition that releases gas. It is a smell that has, of late, prompted legal action by our state’s attorney general.
It is a smell that the landfill’s owner, Republic Services, says it's working to eliminate. This would seem to be a slow process.
It is a smell that will mess with your head.
Terry, who works near the landfill, told us the smell has been known to give her headaches; she's even left work early from a migraine that she believes was caused by the smell. (Exposure to hydrogen sulfide can cause headaches, along with watering eyes and other potential symptoms.)
“[The odor] stunk up my coat, and it won’t come out,” she added.
John Kitchin, Jr. is the owner of North West Auto Body & Services, which is so close to the landfill along St. Charles Rock Road that it’s practically on top of it. He has stronger words on the stinky situation.
“[The odor] is not getting better by any stretch,” he said. “We moved our business here in ’91, and the smell has been continuous. It’s always been bad. You would think after a period of time you’d get immune to it. But there are days when you can’t breathe and your eyes burn.”
Despite recent findings that the odor poses no immediate health threat, Kitchin is not convinced.
“I tell people that it has either killed the tumor growing inside me or started a new one,” he said. “Seriously, I want to make sure we’re not taking things home to our families. I don’t want to be the next Erin Brockovich.
“From a business perspective, it deters people from wanting to be near here,” he added.
There are also a few restaurants near the landfill. Several employees of a nearby Waffle House said they’re used to the odor and not bothered by it.
This isn't the case for some customers, though. Jaleesa and LaKeysha were among those eating lunch at the diner.
“This is my first time in the area,” said Jaleesa, “and I think it smells really putrid, nasty, and disgusting.”
The smell, it should be noted, is undetectable within the restaurant.
“Yeah,” said LaKeysha, “but when we come out, it’s gonna greet us.”
