Residents who live near a suburban St. Louis landfill are moving into temporary homes as work begins that will make an already smelly situation worse.

The operators of the Bridgeton landfill say work that begins Monday will temporarily increase the noxious smell coming from the landfill. The company has offered to relocate about 270 households within a mile of the landfill while the work proceeds.

Republic says it will remove six concrete columns from the landfill, which will make the smell worse for about two weeks. Eventually, the company will put a plastic cap over the landfill.

The landfill sits on 52 acres near Lambert Airport. Neighbors have long complained about its smell and raised health concerns as well.