Swindon pong discovered with old-fashioned sniff test
The cheesy-vomity stench has been on and off for years in Rodbourne
Last updated 9th Feb 2023
Experts from Arup, the specialist consultants employed by Swindon Borough Council to try and find the source of the Rodbourne Pong used very specialist odour-detecting equipment in their research – the human nose.
It was the simple old-fashioned sniff tests that led the company to decide the infamous rancid, cheesy-vomity stench that had plagued residents of Rodbourne and Rodbourne Cheney for years on and off came from the council’s waste processing plant at Waterside Park.
The report had been commissioned by Euclid Street after years of by people living in affected areas, and their councillors, and the failure of the Environment Agency to identify the source of the intermittent stink.
The specialist from Arup conducted tests at a variety of locations on three occasions in January, February and March last year.
The report said: “Before sniff testing was conducted, the odour complaints from Rodbourne and Moredon were anecdotally attributed to the Waterside Depot. Focus has therefore been to understand the waste processing being carried out at the site and whether there have been any changes in operation which may coincide with the high volume of odour complaints.”
Sniffers were sent to a variety of locations including Morrison Street Barnfield Road, Rivermead Drive, Cheney Manor, Darby Close, Cheney Manor Road and Cheney Place. Cheney Place
There were also visits to the solid recovered fuel plant at Waterside Park which dried household waste at high temperatures to make the dry industrial fuel.
The January sniff test report said: “Site visit at Waterside Depot – a strong and unpleasant “cheesy / vomit / rancid” odour that was present immediately downwind of the stack around the car park
“A strong and unpleasant “cheesy / vomit” odour at Darby Close, downwind of the Waterside Depot.
“It is interesting to note that at Barnfield Road, a distinct / strong “sewage” odour was detectable during the morning, however, a “cheesy / vomit / rancid” odour was detectable during the afternoon test.
“This indicates that the source of the “cheesy / vomit / rancid” odour was most likely the Waterside Depot. To further corroborate this, a site visit at Waterside Depot occurred during the morning, it was noted that a very strong “cheesy / vomit / rancid” odour was detectable immediately downwind of the stack – a large water vapour plume was visible throughout the day. “
Sniff tests at the same locations in February and March when there wasn’t a plume apparent at the processing plant
The report added: “This is a limited number of tests, but it does provide initial evidence to suggest that the “cheesy / vomit / rancid” odour is likely to be originating from the Waterside Depot site.”
It suggests the issue is the length of time some waste was kept in a pile at the plant awaiting processing into industrial fuel at the solid recovered fuel plant
That operation of the SRF plant stopped in the last year after the contract to process the borough’s waste went to a company other than PPS which ran the site. The infamous pong also has been absent.