Prevention and Reduction of Odour Nuisance in Waste Management in the Context of the Current Legal and Technological Solutions

Abstract

Excessive odour emission, and thus the potential effect of unpleasant odours in the form of odour nuisance for residents, is a problem that affects many different waste management facilities. In order to prevent and reduce odour emissions, it is necessary to define specific clear and strict legal solutions and to use appropriate technologies. The Polish law indicates that waste management should not cause a nuisance. Despite this fact, legal solutions at the national level are not clear and precise. They are limited to only a few entries. At the European level, BREF Documents have been developed, which are a set of solutions that can be successfully used to counteract odour emissions. On their basis, BAT Conclusions were created, constituting a set of the best available techniques applicable, among others, to reduce the odour emissions from the waste management facilities. By way of implementation into Polish law, they constitute valid standards for prevention and control of odour emissions. The paper presents several solutions demonstrated in the above-mentioned documents aimed at preventing and reducing odour emissions. Various activities, not only those at the technological level but also related to management and planning, in combination with the best available technology allow for effective prevention and control of odour emissions, which could improve the state of environment around the waste management facilities and the quality of human life.

Impact of Air-Flow Rate and Biochar Addition on the Oxygen Concentration in Waste and Emitted Gases During Biostabilization of Undersized Fraction from Municipal Solid Waste

“…In addition, the gases emitted in the biological treatment of waste have to be purified (Białowiec, 2018). Various deodorization methods are used for this purpose (Grzelka et al, 2018;Pawnuk et al, 2020): absorption, adsorption, biological methods, combustion, condensation, encapsulation, and masking. Biofilters (special devices filled with bark, sawdust and woodchips, as well as other similar biological material) are most often used in the existing MBT installations, with greatly varying efficiency ranging from 20 to 99.9%, depending on the type of pollutant removed (Grzelka et al, 2018).…”

Exploring the link between sulphur-containing compounds and noxious odours at waste management facilities: implications for odour monitoring and mitigation strategies

“…These systems typically include gas extraction wells, collection pipes, and gas treatment equipment such as gas flares. Other effective solutions include the use of advanced odour control technologies such as biofilters or activated carbon filters to treat collected gas before it is released into the atmosphere ( 30 , 31 ).…”

Archives of Environmental Protection

“…This issue, however, will not be discussed in this paper. The authors' considerations on this subject were already presented in another article (Pawnuk et al 2020).…”