By DAVID HARRISON

Barbara Collier's Halifax County neighbourhood stinks - literally.

"The smell, it's just out of this world sometimes," the Harrietsfield resident said Saturday.

Ms. Collier and her neighbours have been locked in a battle with RDM Recycling Ltd.'s Construction and Demolition Materials recycling facility on Old Sambro Road since it opened just over seven years ago.

The facility is practically in Ms. Collier's backyard, less than a minute's walk away, she said.

"It shouldn't be in a residential area," she said. "It's smack dab in the middle of this subdivision."

The facility is a construction and demolition material recycling centre that sits on land occupied by an auto junkyard for more than 30 years before RDM moved in.

RDM stockpiles construction and demolition debris such as gyproc and timber until it can be disposed of. Ms. Collier said these stockpiles are the main cause of her problems.

"Most of the problem is gyproc and stuff like that," she said. "When that stuff gets wet or they're moving it around, it's really bad."

Debbie Kelly, who lives across from the facility, said the smell that comes from the facility often causes her to change her plans and stay inside.

Friday was "one of those very nice days that we thought we could enjoy our backyard, and then we smelled that in the morning and it made me feel quite unwell."

The two Harrietsfield residents met with an owner of the facility and representatives from the Environment Department on Friday after a complaint was made about the facility.

Dawn Lawrence, spokeswomen for RDM, said staff met with the Environment Department on Friday. The RDM facility passed an inspection, which she said it always has.

"They have to come when there is a complaint, but they also come on called inspections or unannounced," she said. "We're certainly in compliance with all the regulations."

Ms. Lawrence said that the RDM facility has had complaints regarding smell, but it enforces a strict policy to avoid any smells from entering the surrounding neighbourhood.

"When they came out (Friday) . . . there was a slight odour that might have lasted half an hour when some wet gyproc was moved," Ms. Lawrence said.

"But as soon as the wind changes - we have a wind vane, and it's going to change - we shut down, and we did on Friday."

Ms. Collier said she has encountered more problems than just the nauseating smell. Last year, after tests were done on her well water, she and her husband had to buy a $1,500 system to make their well water safe to drink.

"Tests done showed very, very high uranium, and they told us not to drink it until we got it treated," she said.

Ms. Collier said she can't prove RDM is responsible for the bad water and the health problems she's experienced, such as cysts on her liver and lungs.

"I'm not saying that this place has caused my health problems, but I do not smoke and I do not drink, so I don't know if it's what we're breathing in or it could be our water," she said.