• The results will make it possible to obtain the number and frequency of hours of odour exposure at the control points, as well as characterising the most relevant sources of emission at the Centre’s facilities.

• This study will provide a careful and continuous reading of odour exposure in different areas close to the Centre in order to be able to take action to mitigate their possible impact.

Determining the origin of an odour and its influence on the population is not an easy task. Although some of the chemical and physical components of an odour are relatively simple to measure when analysing an odour, other more subjective factors also intervene and complicate this relationship, such as the olfactory capacity of each person.
Specifically, with the aim of obtaining objective data on the real incidence of odours that may originate from the Waste Centre, the Maresme Waste Consortium has launched a new study to monitor, control, and supervise the odorous impact of the Centre.

In this new study, which has been underway since the end of January with the company Odournet S.L., odours will be analysed through a mesh at different points established in the Els Horts industrial estate, the Cros neighbourhood of Argentona and the entrance to the city of Mataró; areas particularly close to the Waste Centre. In order to carry out this work, a group of experts in this field will be stationed at the various control points at different times and hours of the day and night throughout the duration of the study. The results will make it possible to obtain the number and frequency of hours of odour exposure at the points, and also characterise the most relevant sources of emissions at the Centre’s facilities.

This work will be carried out continuously for the next two years, with the idea of extending it for a further two years. The aim is to obtain a precise and continuous reading of the odour exposure at the different points of the mesh in order to be able to undertake actions to mitigate the possible effects.

A pathway towards improvement dating back to 2009

This is not the first time that the Maresme Waste Consortium has launched a study of this kind. Understanding the real impact of the plant’s odours on the surroundings and being able to provide solutions for improvement is one of the issues on which the Waste Consortium has been working tirelessly since 2009.

In this regard, several measures have been implemented in recent years to mitigate the action of odours, such as the installation of odour neutralisers, the repair of vehicle access doors to the plant, or the replacement of stainless steel ducts with polyethylene plastic to eliminate leaks caused by corrosion. In addition, the biofilter’s biomedia has also been renewed, this is the substrate through which the airflow passes from the different rooms in order to deodorise them before they go out through the chimney. An improvement has also been implemented in the suction system of the aerobic biostabilisation hall, where the organic matter goes through a biological process.

Along the same lines, the waste plant has also incorporated a new meteorological station to evaluate the climatic conditions when incidents caused by odours occur.

Although the actions carried out have achieved a clear improvement, this new study aims to continue in this line, contributing to the design of new responses to the needs related to odours in the immediate surroundings of the Centre.