Compost Site Ruling a Breath of Fresh Air for Clinton Township Residents

Spring might smell better in Clinton Township after a judge ordered a composting company to scale back operations that has been blamed for an on-and-off stench in a busy residential and commercial area for the past two summers.

Uni-Dig Inc., which operates a composting site on Quinn Road east of Gratroit Avenue, is not in compliance with zoning regulations, Macomb County Circuit Court Judge Edward Servitto ruled, the Macomb Daily reports.

The ruling stems from a 2012 lawsuit filed by the Clinton Township Board of Trustees. Residents had repeatedly complained to township officials about the site, citing health concerns as well as eroding property values and quality of life.

One of them, Victoria Prout, who owns a home on Electra Street, said at an August 2012 meeting with township officials that her young children were so “disgusted” by the smell that they refused to play outside.

Prout said that while she advocates and appreciates the merits of recycling, “our neighborhood has had to smell the ramifications of the compost not being properly treated – treatments that would ensure we would not have to smell the stench that compost creates.”

In a news release, Clinton Township Supervisor Bob Cannon said he thinks the ruling will end the problems. The ruling limits Uni-Dig to 20,000 cubic yards of compost materials at the site, compared to the current 63,000 cubic yards, and requires the company to remove any existing materials beyond that limit.

The ruling also requires Uni-Dig to limit its outdoor storage of materials to 7 acres on the 14-acre site and submit a site plan to township officials that shows the exact location of outdoor storage and composting.

That means the company can stay in business – a fair compromise, Carlo Santia, the township’s planning director, said.