Roof Repair in Holly Hill, SC

Updated: Mar. 3, 2025 at 4:57 PM PST

HOLLY HILL, S.C. (WCSC) - Many Holly Hill residents have turned to social media to draw attention to an unpleasant smell many believe is coming from the Synagro composting facility.

The foul smell has become a growing concern for many in the community, with some claiming it’s more unbearable than the smells emitted by a paper mill.

Some residents said the odor is so intense that it causes not only headaches for the parents but also for their children.

Emerald Dennis is a mom of four who moved to Holly Hill from the Charleston area about three-and-a-half years ago.

She said her kids love to play outside and she encourages them to. However, that’s become increasingly difficult due to this persistent odor, which she first noticed about a year ago.

She said the stench is quite impossible to ignore, as it’s a smell she says resembles that of burning human waste.

Dennis said the peaceful charm that comes with living in a rural community like Holly Hill has been overshadowed by this pervasive odor she and many others believe comes from the nearby composting facility called Synagro.

As community concerns continue to grow, many are demanding answers, but Dennis said Synagro has yet to offer any kind of explanation about what this putrid smell is, and what could be causing it.

Dennis said it’s difficult to predict when the smell will strike, but when it does, people immediately close their doors and windows. If they’re eating outside, they’ll head indoors to escape the odor.

Representatives from Synagro are set to address the situation tonight at the Holly Hill City Council meeting, according to the agenda.

Dennis said the odor isn’t just a nuisance for their family, but for the entire community, so much so that she says hundreds have signed a petition for some type of action to be taken.

“There’s over 200 people in Holly Hill that have signed the petition saying, ‘This affects me and I’m not okay with this.’ We also have someone who’s collecting the addresses of specific locations and times when people can smell this. They have it mapped out and you can literally see looking at the map that it whaffs over and just kind of sits over the top of the town. When I say there are hundreds of families interested in seeing this come to a full stop, that would not be an exaggeration,” Dennis said.

While many agree the odor is a major problem, Dennis said the town has been hesitant to take action, saying that Synagro’s facility is located outside of town limits- but again residents are hopeful that some type of change will be addressed at Monday night’s meeting.

According to Synagro’s website, the composting plant’s mission is to partner with communities to protect water and the environment by transforming waste into a resource.

Their mission statement claims to work towards creating healthier communities by eliminating environmental risks.

We reached out to Synagro for comment about the situation and here is their response:

“Synagro takes all odor complaints seriously and strives to ensure its facilities are good neighbors. Composting is basically the decomposition of organic materials into a stable, beneficial, nutrient-rich product. Like many agricultural and natural biological processes, composting can occasionally produce odors particularly when affected by area-specific weather and wind conditions. In addition, our composting facility in Holly Hill, SC, is located near several cement kilns, a wood processing plant, and many farms, including chicken processing all of which can generate odors at various times.”

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Holly Hill is set to renovate Gilmore and Folk parks with $1.2 million in upgrades, including new features like a splash pad and ADA-accessible playgrounds.

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HOLLY HILL, S.C. — Two parks in Holly Hill are set to undergo major renovations aimed at updating and improving the recreational spaces for residents and visitors. The town is planning significant upgrades to both Gilmore Park and Francis Folk Park, thanks to a portion of the county's Capital Sales Project Tax.

The town is set to receive $1.2 million from Orangeburg County's penny tax, which will fund the improvements.

Gilmore Park is slated to receive a splash pad, and its playground will be made ADA accessible. Meanwhile, Francis Folk Park will see a second basketball court, a girls' fast-pitch and tee-ball field, ADA accessibility for the playground, and a revamped baseball field with sprinklers and resurfacing. Both parks will also get new lighting.

Juliet Ham, a Holly Hill resident, expressed her excitement about the renovations. "It means everything knowing that our children can come out here and have fun and there’s always some type of supervision, and it’s just wonderful that they have this opportunity,” she said.

Ham, who used to take her sons to Francis Folk Park when they were little, noted a decline in participation at the parks. “Well there has been a decline in participation to some degree. That’s why I’m so happy that our mayor is cognitive of the fact and trying to work to get more play area for the children,” Ham said.

Mayor Billy Chavis emphasized the importance of the renovations for the town's youth. “Over the years, the parks and the playgrounds have been kind of left behind for the kids. We’ve had an opportunity now with the penny tax to come in and recapture the kids again, give them something to do. So we’re now starting from the ground up,” he said.

Chavis said the upgrades will benefit not only Holly Hill but also surrounding communities. “It’s also for surrounding areas because everyone deserves to have a place to go and play and have a good time and spend time with other kids, and that’s why what we’re building here in Holly Hill is not just going to benefit the kids of Holly Hill, it’s also going to benefit the kids of Vance, Eutawville, and Santee. They will all be welcome here to come and play on our parks,” he explained.

Mayor Chavis tells News19 that construction on the projects is set to begin once the town receives bonds from Orangeburg County.