According to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, on October 16, 2019, Rustavi residents, disturbed by an unpleasant odor, held a protest in front of Rustavi City Hall. The rally was organized by the local branch of the European Georgia party. Protesters claimed that a “stench of decay” periodically spread through Rustavi’s neighborhoods from a mushroom greenhouse complex located near Tbilisi.

About 30 demonstrators gathered holding signs that read: “Clean Air for Rustavi!”, “The Stench Is Killing Us!”, and “Until When?!”. “We can’t let our children outside, we can’t open windows — we’re being poisoned,” said participants.

This was the second protest over the same issue — a smaller group had demonstrated earlier on August 31. Before the October rally, residents visited the entrance of the “White Hat” mushroom farm, located about five kilometers from the city.

Protesters blamed local authorities for inaction and demanded answers from Rustavi Mayor Irakli Tabagua, who met them in City Hall and explained that environmental monitoring was beyond the municipality’s authority. He said that, at the city’s request, environmental inspectors had visited the greenhouse on October 15 and begun an inspection.

According to the mayor, tests conducted weeks earlier confirmed that the smell originated from the compost preparation process, during which chicken manure, peat, and straw were mixed, and that the odor then spread toward the city. The greenhouse’s management, he said, had promised to modernize equipment to reduce the odor.

Vasil Datikishvili, head inspector of the Environmental Protection Department’s Kvemo Kartli branch, confirmed that the compost was being prepared in open air and said the department would later release test results and determine whether to impose sanctions on the farm.