When the Fresh Kills Landfill in Staten Island, N.Y., closed in March 2001, residents in surrounding neighborhoods rejoiced when “rancid” smells disappeared and they could open their windows again.

Recently, however, the smell of methane has returned, some residents have said. But according to a City of New York Department of Sanitation spokesperson, “there have been no substantive changes to operations at Fresh Kills in the last year that would cause the smell,” Staten Island Advance reports. In addition, the state Department of Environmental Conservation has not received recent odor complaints regarding the landfill.

Staten Island Advance has more details:

Staten Islanders will always remember what it was like driving the West Shore Expressway or along Richmond Avenue in the summer while the Fresh Kills Landfill was operating.

One word comes to mind: Rancid.

Residents in surrounding neighborhoods couldn’t keep their windows open and drivers hoped to not get stuck in traffic along that section of the West Shore Expressway.

Read the full article here.