‘You literally cannot breathe outside’: Ipswich odour harming residents

The stench is so bad in this Aussie suburb that locals struggle to breathe, vomit daily and are developing horrific rashes, leading to thousands of complaints.

Headaches, vomiting: The toxic odour affecting Ipswich residents

More than 5000 complaints have been made about odours in Brisbane’s west leaving residents struggling to breathe, dry retching and vomiting daily.

Alarmingly, according to the Australian Cancer Atlas, residents in adjacent areas are diagnosed with lung cancer at rates 47 per cent above the Australian average.

Locals in the area, which is situated behind multiple composting and landfill facilities, say they are fed up and terrified about the consequences of the odours they have been exposed to.

The "trash mountain". Picture: Andrew Maguire.

Depending on the direction and strength of the wind, those living in Ipswich are exposed to unpleasant odours which range in description from something similar to rotten eggs, sewage and fertiliser.

Swanbank Industrial Area hosts composting, landfill and recycling facilities, with not all facilities fully enclosed.

Gillian Aberley provided The Courier-Mail with multiple reports that had been submitted to DES (Department of Environment and Science) between April and December 2022.

“This morning you literally cannot breathe outside. Makes you want to vomit immediately,” she wrote in a submission in December 2022.

“The smell starts from 1am and gets more intense as the morning goes on. In the last seven years, this is the worst it has ever been.”

Rashes on Michelle Kate. Picture: Supplied

Ms Aberley said the smell has impacted her daily life significantly.

“We’ve been prisoners in our own home,” she said.

“Too afraid to have windows and doors open. Having to run an airconditioner constantly to get some sort of fresh air. It’s made our quality of life so poor due to significant health issues.

“My son has daily episodes of severe illness, meaning he hasn’t been able to go to school or even play like a child should be able to.

“His body is constantly in a state of inflammation, meaning any type of physical exertion, mental stress, or even foods set off an allergic type response.”

Michelle Kate described her symptoms as coughing, rashes, hives, burning skin, eye irritation and skin dryness.

Rashes on Michelle Kate. Picture: Supplied

“Half the time I don’t want to leave the house but going for a walk when it smells makes me not want to exercise,” she said.

“Since moving from interstate to Redbank Plains and Ripley I have been experiencing severe rashes and hives. If I touch any type of fertiliser I also break out in a rash, these rashes need a lot of medication to keep under control … I’ve been living with them for two years.”

Kate Henry said she wants to spend time outdoors but the smell has made it difficult for her.

“I love spending afternoons in our backyard attempting to grow a vegetable patch and watching the sun go down,” she said.

“At times the smell can really interrupt my afternoon backyard adventures.”

Andrew Maguire described the situation as “frustrating”, after developing sinus issues after the stench became noticeable in 2015.

Air collection canister provided to resident Tracey Butler. Picture: Supplied

“Since then I’ve never had so many sinus issues,” he said.

“My daughter is also frequently suffering with upper respiratory illnesses. Even just feeling like your nose is congested far too often. On the bad days, headaches if you’re out too long.

“There are days when the smell is that noxious where we just won’t do stuff outside. It’s been so bad the last few years especially, where we used to have BBQs and people over we just don’t bother really now.

“I even gave up on the clothesline a couple of years ago and just put everything in the dryer now. When it’s stinking, no one wants to be out there, and we have no idea what we’re breathing. Because of that the windows to the house are shut far too often. We also ended up buying air purifiers for inside the house.”

Tracey Butler said she slightly cracks each window open in the morning, hoping that she doesn’t end up in a coughing fit. She has to close the door to her bathroom at all times and cannot spend time outside without breaking out into rashes. Her dog has now developed rashes on its body and has to remain on medication.

Rashes appearing on Tracey Butler's dog. Picture: Supplied

Ipswich Mayor Teresa Harding said Ipswich residents have been dealing with the odour for at least a decade.

“The Ipswich community is understandably incredibly frustrated. We know there are waste operators that are not doing the right thing and their commercial operations are having a massively negative impact on the quality of life of Ipswich residents. It feels like they are making profits at the expense of our amenity and potentially our health,” she said.

“Council established a Waste and Circular Economy Transformation Policy Directive in December 2020. We are pulling all the legal, planning and policy levers we can to get a better outcome for our community.

“When these odours are at their worst, Council receives reports from residents with chest pains and respiratory issues, nausea and vomiting, sore throats and eyes, and headaches. “Residents are forced to live for months at a time without being able to open their windows and doors.

Swanbank Industrial Area. Picture: Department of Environment and Science.

“Ultimately, Ipswich residents are sick of being impacted by these noxious odours time and time again and have genuine concerns about what the long-term health impacts may be from breathing in these odours.”

In a statement provided to The Courier-Mail, DES said it had been actively investigating odour nuisance reports received from community members in and around the Swanbank Industrial Area.

“Investigations in suburbs affected by odours along with information from community reports and weather monitoring technology, helped identify that composting facilities located in the Swanbank industrial area are most likely contributing to the odours,” the statement read.

“Businesses involved in these activities are licenced by the department. They must comply with their environmental obligations and not cause unlawful harm to the environment or impact on the community.

“In recent months, our compliance officers have conducted detailed site inspections of composting facilities in the Swanbank industrial area to determine compliance with the requirements of their environmental licences.

Redbank Plains is 47 per cent above the Australian average for Lung Cancer. Picture: Australian Cancer Atlas

“We are reviewing information gathered from these inspections. Our compliance officers will continue to focus on waste activities in the Swanbank industrial area.

“As the environmental regulator, DES takes environmental offences seriously and will continue to take strong enforcement action, including court action, in relation to contraventions of the Environmental Protection Act.”

Locations where odour reaches. Picture: Google Maps

Less than a month ago Tracey Butler started a petition to “stop the stink,” a move that has nearly generated 2000 signatures in support, with a goal to hold recycling facilities in the area accountable for odour emissions.

“We are suffering from dry retching, vomiting, headaches, stinging lips after vomiting, irritated eyes and noses, sneezing, unknown rashes, coughing, mental stress and depression,” she wrote.

Nugrow Composting Facility, WMI Composting Facility and Lantrak Landfill were contacted for comment.