Residents of East Vancouver have been enduring a strong and unpleasant smell this summer, likened to garbage and sewage. Metro Vancouver has identified several potential sources contributing to the odor issue, including a poultry processing plant, two seafood processors, and West Coast Reduction Ltd., a major rendering plant.
Despite the long-standing presence of the smell, complaints about the overwhelming stench have nearly doubled this year. Metro Vancouver has received 883 odor complaints for East Vancouver north of Broadway so far in 2025, a significant increase compared to the average of 456 complaints annually over the past five years. Out of this year’s reports, West Coast Reduction is believed to be responsible for 357 complaints.
The West Coast Reduction facility in East Vancouver, the sole operation of its kind in British Columbia, processes food waste and animal byproducts from various sources to produce proteins for feed and pet food, as well as fats for renewable fuel. The facility employs odor treatment methods involving high temperatures and a chlorine solution to mitigate the impact of odors before being released into the air.
Despite the efforts to address the issue, the smell from the facility continues to affect the surrounding areas and can sometimes spread to other parts of the city, including the downtown core. An online application called Smell Vancouver allows residents to report different odors across the city, with a notable increase in app usage this year, particularly from East Vancouver.
Amanda Giang, lead researcher with Smell Vancouver, highlighted that construction, garbage collection, sewage, and algae blooms could also be contributing factors to the unpleasant odors in the area. West Coast Reduction has acknowledged an increase in complaints received this year and utilizes weather data from a rooftop weather station to investigate and address each odor complaint promptly. Metro Vancouver’s environmental regulation and enforcement staff assess each complaint, although pinpointing the exact source of odors can be challenging due to changing air conditions.