"Pig vomit" smell from feed company angers Chicago area residents
MOUNT PROSPECT, Ill. (CBS) -- A smelly mess has been brewing in one northwest suburb and residents have been complaining about what they called an awful smell circulating in their air and seeping into their homes.
Neighbors in Mount Prospect said the smelly problem has been going on for years. Thursday was a good day because the winds weren't fierce, but on a windy day, they close their windows and their walks are cut short.
"Prestige smells like pig vomit," said Mark Johnson, a Mount Prospect resident.
In neon green writing on signs, their message was clear: The neighborhood reeks.
"Very putrid, thick," Johnson added. "It smells like vomit."
Johnson has been a long-time resident and said his neighborhood smelled great until 2019, when he said Prestige Feed Products started kicking out the foul smells.
"If the odors are blowing this way, you can't get away from it," Johnson said. "Sometimes, when you have even the windows closed, it still penetrates into the houses."
Prestige Feed Products' website said it was established in 2018 and produces food for the pigs, cows, and pets.
"That's my time in the morning to get out and enjoy the nature," said Clint Hervert, a Mount Prospect resident. "So I open the door out for the walk in the early morning. It just hits you right out the door."
Neighbors said the smell has gotten so bad that it's affecting students.
"They complain about the odor," Johnson said. "They're holding their noses. They're pulling their shirts up over their faces. It's just disgusting."
Alex Hervert said nearly 1,000 residents have complained to the company and the village about the smell since the beginning of this year.
"I think we're all finally at our breaking point of we really want something to happen, but feeling a little powerless to be honest," Alex said.
But they plan on taking their power back by planning a protest Thursday night outside of the business.
"We don't want to be breathing in this smell," Alex Hervert said. "Who knows what kind of contaminants are in it? We just don't want to be breathing in this smelly air anymore."
Mount Prospect residents will gather outside of Prestige Feed Products to voice their concerns.
Prestige Feed Products and Mount Prospect officials did not respond to a request for comment.