A smelly saga continues in Berlin, but relief could be on the way for people dealing with a noise and stench they say is coming from the building of a company called Bright Feeds.
A smelly saga continues in Berlin, but relief could be on the way for people dealing with a noise and stench they say is coming from the building of a company called Bright Feeds.
Bright Feeds takes food waste and turns it into feed for agricultural use.
At Wednesday’s meeting, people in town learned that Bright Feeds is installing a new device that they say will curb sound and odor.
Additionally, the state says Bright Feeds is applying for a Clean Air Act permit.
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"I can barely tolerate it,” James Ostroski, of Berlin, said.
He said he works next door to Bright Feeds at Tasca Ford in Berlin. He calls the smell coming from the building sickening.
Fixing that stench and the noise the building makes is an initiative some Berlin residents like Ryan Malloy have been working on for over a year.
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“At this point, it’s been too long to remediate the issues,” Malloy said. “We want to make sure there’s a governance body around this to prevent this in the future.”
Since people in town started a petition in 2023 and brought forth concerns, some progress has been made.
Bright Feeds no longer operates overnight. They also have limited the types of materials they process and are rejecting stinky feedstocks until they have a consistent smell solution.
They say a device called a Regenerative Thermal Oxidizer (RTO) should be up and running by April, which is supposed to lessen these problems.
“This is the highest level odor solution avail on the market and we're confident it will provide a permanent odor solution,” Johnathan Fife, of Bright Feeds, said.
The State Department of Energy and Environmental Conservation (DEEP) tested the air around Bright Feeds in January.
They're still parsing through that data, to then be examined by public health experts. But from what they have so far, Jake Felton with DEEP said Bright Feeds will be applying for a Clean Air Act permit.
"The permit will require periodic emission testing,” Felton said.
The state said so far, the most prevalent emission is ethanol, but the most toxic emission, if any, has yet to be determined by the state Department of Public Health.
That's the part people say they're eager to learn.
"We’re breathing that stuff in, is it toxic, what’s the long term effects?” Otroski said.
The town is looking to meet again at the end of April for another update.
They have also requested Bright Feeds provide in-person representation for the next conversation.
