EVERETT — A stinky dispute between neighbors and an Everett composting facility is headed toward court.
Seattle attorneys have filed two class action lawsuits against Cedar Grove Composting alleging that the company’s Everett and Maple Valley composting sites create odors that disturb the neighbors’ quality of life.
The lawsuits were filed in superior courts in Snohomish and King counties on behalf of all neighbors within a four-mile radius of the facilities. The lawsuits are seeking compensation for the neighbors and also demanding that Cedar Grove change how it operates and eliminates odors.
Last month, two other lawsuits were filed in district courts in Snohomish and King counties representing 350 people who live around Cedar Grove’s facilities also seeking compensation for what was described as the rotting garbage stench.
The company is paid to take yard and food waste from hauling companies around Snohomish County and parts of King County. It turns the waste into compost for use in gardens. It also collects food waste from restaurants. The Everett plant opened in 2004.
Neighbors have complained for several years of a rotting-garbage stench they believe comes from the sites, especially during warmer months.
The Puget Sound Clean Air Agency is conducting a study of odors in the Snohomish River delta, where the composting plant is located.
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