Watch NZH Local Focus: Levin residents continue to fight for dump closure

Residents in Hokio Beach say they have filed more than 70 complaints in this year alone about the smell that comes from the Levin Dump.

"It's absolutely shocking the odour, I mean all landfills stink really, and it just depends on the weather conditions, and especially when it's calm, the odour just lingers around and now it's hitting the township when you've got easterly winds, " says Malcolm Hadlum, Neighbourhood Liaison Group member.

Some in the the Hokio community claim Horizons Regional Council has failed to consult effectively, which it must do under the conditions of its consent.

It is a claim the council strongly denies, saying, 'there has been no breach of consent.'

Local Maori also say it's offensive for leachate to be polluting the nearby stream which runs close to their marae.

"Regional council said they can't do anything about that, and we don't agree with that, we think they need to do something about that, because there is more and more leachate coming out of especially the old part of the dump and polluting the stream and it's just unacceptable," says David Moore, Ngati Pareraukawa representative.

Horizons Regional council declined an on camera interview with Local Focus, however did say they are currently in touch with the main complainant and are currently installing a landfill gas flare and a bio-filter over the leachate collection chamber. They say they are constantly monitoring the dump for any breaches of compliance.

Horizons say they have had 71 complaints of odour and provided data showing 96% of those complaints have been from a single source located in a close proximity to the dump.

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