Bad odor back: Neighbors suspect Everett composting business

MARYSVILLE – Complaints are surfacing once again about an offensive odor wafting through neighborhoods, and some again believe it is coming from Cedar Grove Composting in Everett.

Mike Davis of Marysville said the odor was especially bad last weekend and Monday. It smelled the same as the stink he’s been enduring the past four or five summers, he said.

“It had that rotting corpse smell that is unbrearable,” he said.

Officials at the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency, which has jurisdiction over offensive smells, said they have received 12 complaints in the area since May 10. It has yet to definitively trace any of the complaints to Cedar Grove, an official said.

ADVERTISEMENT
0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:00
00:00
 

To pin an odor complaint to a particular source, the Clear Air Agency must send an investigator to trace the smell from the place of the call while the odor is still present.

Still, there’s a good possibility the smell is coming from the composting facility, said Mario Pedroza, managing supervising inspector for the Clean Air Agency.

The other odor producers in the area, such as the Marysville wastewater plant, have characteristic odors that are easily distinguished from Cedar Grove, he said.

“The odor’s still there, the people still smell it,” he said.

Numerous complaints were received two years ago and at least three times the Clean Air Agency traced the smell to Cedar Grove.

Over the winter of 2008-09, the company spent several hundred thousand dollars on trees and doors for its large, raw compost holding building. Complaints dropped last summer from the year before but many residents say they still smelled the same smell. One of the complaints last summer was traced to Cedar Grove.

Company officials have not yet been reached for comment Thursday.

Bill Sheets: 425-339-3439; sheets@heraldnet.com.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Cars drive along Cathcart Way next to the site of the proposed Eastview Village development that borders Little Cedars Elementary on Wednesday, May 7, 2025 in unincorporated Snohomish, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Former engineer: Snohomish County rushed plans for Eastview development

David Irwin cited red flags from the developers. After he resigned, the county approved the development that’s now stalled with an appeal

Outside of the Madrona School on Monday, Aug. 26, 2024 in Edmonds, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Sewer district notifies Edmonds schools of intent to sue

The letter of intent alleges the school district has failed to address long-standing “water pollution issues” at Madrona K-8 School.

Everett
Man stabbed in face outside Everett IHOP, may lose eye

Police say the suspect fled in the victim’s car, leading officers on a 6-mile chase before his arrest.

A person walks up 20th Street Southeast to look at the damage that closed the road on Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024 in Lake Stevens, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
WA delegation urges Trump to reconsider request for bomb cyclone aid

The Washington state congressional delegation urged President Donald Trump on… Continue reading

Aaron Weinstock uses an x-ray machine toy inside the Imagine Children Museum on Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Imagine Children’s Museum $250k grant reinstated following federal court order

The federal grant supports a program that brings free science lessons to children throughout rural Snohomish County.

Snohomish County 911 Executive Director Kurt Mills talks about the improvements made in the new call center space during a tour of the building on Tuesday, May 20, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
New 911 center in Everett built to survive disaster

The $67.5 million facility brings all emergency staff under one roof with seismic upgrades, wellness features and space to expand.

Everett
Five arrested in connection with Everett toddler’s 2024 overdose death

More than a year after 13-month-old died, Everett police make arrests in overdose case.

Madison Family Shelter Family Support Specialist Dan Blizard talks about one of the pallet homes on Monday, May 19, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Madison Family Shelter reopens after hiatus

The Pallet shelter village, formerly Faith Family Village, provides housing for up to eight families for 90 days.

DNR removes derelict barge from Spencer Island

The removal was done in partnership with state Fish and Wildlife within a broader habitat restoration project.

(City of Everett)
Everett’s possible new stadium has a possible price tag

City staff said a stadium could be built for $82 million, lower than previous estimates. Bonds and private investment would pay for most of it.

Jennifer Humelo, right, hugs Art Cass outside of Full Life Care Snohomish County on Wednesday, May 28, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
‘I’ll lose everything’: Snohomish County’s only adult day health center to close

Full Life Care in Everett, which supports adults with disabilities, will shut its doors July 19 due to state funding challenges.

A member of the Sheriff's office works around evidence as investigators work the scene on 20th Street SE near Route 9 after police shot and killed a man suspected in a car theft on Friday, Jan. 13, 2023, in Lake Stevens, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Family of Lake Stevens man shot by police sues over mental health care delays

Lawsuit says state failed to evaluate James Blancocotto before he was shot fleeing in a patrol car.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.