'It's too stinky': Wake County residents demand action as South Wake Landfill odor intensifies

A Wake County landfill is causing quite the stink.

2025-09-02

Reports of a worsening smell at the South Wake Landfill, located on the border of Apex and Holly Springs, have gone up in the last three months. 

It’s an issue WRAL News has reported on since the landfill opened in 2008.

The county said most of the complaints come from within a half-mile radius, but some have been filed from as far as 2 miles away.

The smell that comes from the South Wake Landfill is hard to ignore. It’s the kind of scent that no one wants to encounter outside their home, and residents say they've noticed it more recently. 

“When you get outside, you open your front door, and it hits you like a wall,” said Emily Nelson, who lives with her family about a half-mile from the landfill.

The Nelsons have lived in their home for seven years and said the odor sometimes keeps them indoors.

“I’d say there’s definitely been some days that we want to go in the backyard and play on the playground. And I tell the boys, ‘Not today. It’s too stinky,’” Nelson said.

John Roberson, Director of the Division of Solid Waste and Recycling, acknowledges the problem. He says the smell has intensified with recent rainfall, a recent gas system expansion, and the opening of a new section of the landfill.

“That new phase of the landfill means we’re at a lower elevation, so we’re not horizontally closer to the neighborhoods, but we are at a same elevation as the neighborhoods,” Roberson explained.

He said that can make the smell stronger, but efforts are underway to improve conditions.

“Many of the techniques that we’ve used over the past 5 years to reduce odors that were experienced in 2019 and 2020 are still in play,” Roberson said. “If you compare our landfill to most any other landfill in the nation, we’re doing more, whether it’s technology, whether it’s our misting systems, whether it’s the way we operate our landfill, we’re doing more than just about any landfill you’ll find in the United States.”

The landfill has recently upgraded its misting and vapor-based systems to help dissipate the smell. Operations have also shifted to certain times of day when the odor is easier to control.

Wake County officials encourage residents to report any odors they notice, especially if they detect changes. They say every complaint is investigated.