Class Action Claims Tennessee Mill has Failed to Control ‘Unbelievably Horrible’ Noxious Odor Emissions

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A proposed class action lawsuit claims that Domtar Paper Company’s failure to properly control noxious odor emissions from its Kingsport Mill recycled paper and packaging facility has caused property damage and diminished the quality of life for nearby residents.

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The 18-page environmental lawsuit contends that Domtar has failed to take sufficient action to combat the “unreasonable” rotten-egg-like smell emanating from a 23-acre wastewater lagoon, which is being used as an effluent disposal, at the Kingsport Mill in Kingsport, Tennessee. According to the complaint, Kingsport residents say the noxious hydrogen sulfide odors from the facility have significantly impacted their quality of life, especially for any outdoor activities.

“On frequent, recurrent, and intermittent occasions too numerous to list individually, Plaintiffs’ property, including Plaintiffs’ neighborhood, residence, and outdoor spaces, have been and continue to be physically invaded by noxious odors,” the filing states. “The noxious odors that entered Plaintiffs’ property originated from, and were caused by, Defendant’s Facility.”

According to the complaint, Domtar’s main operation involves using hundreds of thousands of tons of recycled containerboard to make linerboard for corrugated boxes. The facility operations include recycling millions of tons of packaging, having accepted roughly 31.8 million tons of empty boxes throughout 2020 alone, and receiving and sorting cardboard and mixed paper, which are formed into large bales for delivery to Kingsport Mill, the filing says.

Per the case, the bales of cardboard and paper are pulped by vats and removed of plastics and large contaminants, which are later burned to make energy for the facility. The pulp is separated by long and short fibers and prepared for the containerboard machine, which converts the pulp into huge reels that may be used later in the production of boxes or packaging material, the suit explains.

Crucially, the facility has a 23-acre wastewater lagoon on site that is used for the disposal of discarded materials and byproducts from the recycling processes, the suit relays. Between 2021 and 2023, the complaint says, the facility was temporarily shut down during its conversion from a freesheet paper mill to a recycled containerboard mill, during which time the lagoon was completely drained.

However, as a result of the drainage, the defendant has experienced “significant operational issues” with the renewed use of the Kingsport facility’s wastewater lagoon, which has become a known source of the noxious odors at issue, the class action lawsuit says.

“Defendant’s emission control processes are inadequate, improperly maintained and operated, and fail to prevent noxious offsite odors from invading the private property of Plaintiffs and the Class,” the lawsuit argues.

The plaintiffs, two Kingsport residents, claim that their community of 10,800 residential households has been “physically invaded” by the noxious odors, limiting their ability to spend time outside, open windows or fully enjoy their neighborhoods. Their experiences align with those of many other community members, who have filed complaints with the City of Kingsport and against the mill, the complaint shares.

“The noxious odors invading the Plaintiffs’ and Class’s properties are indecent and offensive to people with ordinary health and sensibilities, and they obstruct the free use of their properties so as to substantially and unreasonably interfere with the enjoyment of life and property,” the complaint reads.

Similarly, the lawsuit mentions the numerous penalties and fines that Domtar has been forced to pay in connection with its facility, including thousands in civil penalties and damages since the renewed operation. But, despite these warnings, the lawsuit contends, Domtar has continued to emit noxious odors and has not made any meaningful changes to its facilities.

The Domtar Paper Company class action lawsuit looks to represent all owner-occupants and renters of residential property within two miles of the facility at any point within the applicable statute of limitations period.

On March 9, 2026, the day before the complaint was filed, attorneys who represent the plaintiffs filed a separate complaint against a South Carolina-based landfill over accusations that the facility has also failed to control noxious odor emissions.

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