What’s the stink?

By Jade Lawton
SOMETHING is on the nose in Pakenham.
A chemical, rubbery smell is lingering over Racecourse Road, residents say.
“It’s hard to describe. It’s not like sewage or anything, but it’s rubbery, like a burn-out, but fouler,” one resident, who wished to remain anonymous, has told the News.
The smell was sometimes noticeable in other parts of Pakenham, she said.
The owner of Cahill Heavy Haulage on Drovers Place, Kevin Cahill, said the smell reminded him of a septic tank and made people nauseated on bad days.
He said the council had visited the area and investigated but had told him it “wasn’t that bad”.
Kim McGill, of R&C Asphalt Paving, also on Drover’s Place, said the smell was particularly bad yesterday (Wednesday).
“I was just walking to my car and it nearly knocked me out,” he said.
Mr McGill said he thought the smell came from a number of businesses in the area.
Cardinia Council confirmed last Friday they had received complaints about the stench. Council officers followed their noses to Racecourse Road but said they could not smell anything distinctive.
Spokesman Paul Dunlop said the council had received 18 complaints about smells across Pakenham in the past 12 months.
But Mr Cahill was convinced the council had received more complaints.
“I reckon I have complained more than 18 times in the past year. I have been at them about this for four years,” he said.
“It’s alright for the council, they don’t have to live with it,” he said.
The Environment Protection Authority (EPA) also confirmed it had received complaints about a stench originating from Drovers Place. The street is the site of the Livestock Exchange and Pakenham Waste and Recycling Transfer Station.
EPA Victoria south metropolitan regional manager George Tsivoulidis said the EPA had received “a couple” of reports from residents in the Drovers Lane area about odour they said was from a composting facility.
“The EPA was unable to confirm the odour; however we will be monitoring the situation and encourage people to contact us as soon as they are aware of an issue,” he said.
Mr Dunlop said the council needed as much information as possible to find the source of smells.
“If people do notice a strange smell, then contact council with the time, location, weather conditions and direction of the wind, so we can determine where the smell is coming from,” he said.