-
Synergy Recycling is located off Kinlaw Road in the county industrial park.
Several citizens complained to the Camden County Board of Commissioners during a regular meeting Tuesday about strong odors in their neighborhood that is infringing on their quality of life and causing health concerns.
They believe the culprit is Synergy Recycling, which operates a plant on property they own in the county industrial park near Interstate 95, Exit 7. The property has a Woodbine address but is located inside Kingsland city limits.
At press time on Wednesday, Synergy had not responded to inquiries that had been emailed to their corporate office.
Although the company is in compliance with the Environmental Protection Division, which has inspected the plant in recent years, county board chair Gary Blount said the commissioners would help the residents any way they could.
“I did not realize that odor out there was that bad,” said Blount, who said he first learned of the complaints late last week.
Leon Washington, who pastors nearby Evergreen Baptist Church and lives near Harrietts Bluff, addressed commissioners about the problem and was accompanied by other church members and neighbors who also spoke.
They complained that the fumes can be smelled in their homes, making their throats and noses burn. Some complain of headaches.
“It is getting worse over these past few weeks,” the pastor said.
Washington said he went to the plant to speak with a manager, but was questioned about who he was and how he knew what the odor was or where it was coming from.
“I am 70 years old, I know what diesel oil and rubber smell like. I didn’t like that,” Washington said. So the group has now turned to county elected leaders for help.
“We want you to give us some answers on what is going on and what is being released,” he told commissioners. “I am not easily intimidated and I am on this ride until the end of this journey.”
Monica McGowan said her family has lived in the area for 45 years and she wants to know why so many people in that area are sick with respiratory problems.
“In the last five years, my mother has buried five of her children. Why is everyone out here sick? We cannot sit around and wait for the next person to die. What is going on in Kinlaw? Can we please get an answer?” she asked.
Roslynn Harrell, a neighbor of Washington’s, said she has smelled the odor off and on for years, but it has definitely gotten increasingly worse. It is so bad, she said you can’t ignore it.
“It just almost knocked me down. We have reached that tipping point,” she said.
Although she said she is an adult who can advocate for herself, “there are children who cannot speak for themselves” standing at bus stops and attending the nearby elementary school who need to be protected as well. She said she knew a number of parents who were concerned about it.
Another resident complained, “When you smell it, it takes your breathe away. We are just asking for help for our famlies, for our future.”
Inspection reports are posted on the Georgia EPD website and the reflect that the plant made some changes to its equipment in 2020. As part of its recycling process, the plant does burn natural gas.
“At the time of the inspection the facility appeared to be in compliance,” stated the report from Aug. 30, 2020.
The report noted there had been an odor complaint made in July 2020.
The last inspection was in 2019, but both were “announced inspections,” rather than random, unannounced inspections. During the 2020 inspection, performance tests were conducted to gauge the amount of emissions and it was ruled negligible.
Blount told the group that the county would advocate for them after gathering all of the relevant facts.
“We will get with the county attorney, we will get with planning and zoning and we will get back to you on what we can do about this,” the county chairman said. “We will do everything we can to remedy the situation. I would not want that myself.”