D-Day for Brooklyn odour offender

A SERIAL offender responsible for the highest number of odour complaints in Brooklyn could be stripped of its operating licence. The Environment Protection Authority has given Australian Tallow until December 14 to explain why EPA should not suspend its licence. The company must produce a detailed plan fully outlining improvements to infrastructure, waste and odour management. An EPA update to the Brooklyn Community Reference Group (BCRG) confirmed Australian Tallow continued to discharge odours in breach of its pollution abatement notice. "Odours have been confirmed and traced to the premises on multiple occasions. Since July this year, the site appears to have regressed somewhat in addressing odour issues at the site." Last year Australian Tallow was convicted and fined $70,000 over offensive odours and the discharge of animal-derived fat from the Brooklyn rendering facility into Kororoit Creek. EPA metro manager Richard Marks said most of the businesses in the Brooklyn area were legitimate, but the way they were operating was a real concern. "We've got some major odour issues in the area. Australian Tallow, which is our last major odour source there, is an area of focus for us at the moment."

Possible solution for Timaru’s ongoing odour issue

A solution may be in hand for the nuisance odour which has been a persistent problem for residents of Timaru, particularly during the warm summer months. Jason Evered Area Leader RMA Compliance Monitoring, based in Timaru, says Environment Canterbury has made it a priority to resolve the problem, but to date, standard approaches to finding the source of the odour have been unsuccessful. “We hope this new environmental software solution which we are trialling will mean the odours can finally be traced and we can then find a way to eliminate them,’’ he says. “Residents have been suggesting a variety of reasons for the troublesome smell, but it will be good to finally identify the source and do something about it ending the speculation.’’ The EnviroSuite Odour Tracking system operates by modelling local weather in real-time. As soon as a complaint is received, the system runs a “backtrack” from the location of the complaint and shows the path that the odour has travelled. The system, which has been used successfully to track odour sources in Australia and Spain and can handle a large number of complaints identified from different locations at any one time. Mr Evered says “Existing equipment is being used for the trial and software is in the process of being installed and we expect it all to be up and running before Christmas. “To my knowledge this is the first time this system has been used in New Zealand and results should be available soon after the system has been fully installed. “To really get to the bottom of the problem, we are encouraging all residents to report nuisance odours, making sure they note the location and exact time where and when they smelt the odour, as well as a description of the smell.’’ Residents can phone our Pollution Hotline number 24 hours a day on 0800 76 55 88 and report the time, location and description of the offensive or objectionable odour.

Richmond Review - Foul odour prompts local to gather public feedback

Richmond Review - Foul odour prompts local to gather public feedback


A local resident, fearful that the current effort to eliminate the foul smell linked to Harvest Power's composting facility in East Richmond will linger on for years, is urging Richmond residents to get involved.
"I believe only the community involvement will solve this problem," wrote Patricio Alfaro in an e-mail. "I am writing because I am interested in building awareness of the damage the offensive odour has...to the environment, and to property value."
Alfaro has set up an e-mail address, and is encouraging people upset about the smell to send in e-mails to richmondsmell@gmail.com.
Alfaro hopes to establish a social network whose goal is to eliminate the odour problem.
Alfaro's concerns stem from the experience of residents in London, Ontario, where a waste treatment facility was introduced six years ago.
Alfaro said officials from Orgaworld promised their facility would be "odour free."
"The situation in London, Ont. may be related to a different type of waste processing than Harvest Power, but the passive reaction of the people in a position of solving the odour problem in Richmond is the same as in London," he said. "We hear from the city authorities, from Metro Vancouver, and from Harvest Power management that a solution is in study, giving hope for a return to fresh air again in Richmond and other communities affected."
But Alfaro fears the reality "is that the damaging offensive smell will continue for years to come."
"Promise after promise, the community authorities, the environment authority, and the composting plant have not resolved the problem. The local residents are tired and want the London plant closed for good.

Harvest Power, which is near No. 9 Road and Highway 91 in East Richmond, takes yard and food waste from the city and composts it, turning it into energy.

“We are absolutely committed to dealing with this issue, and given our good record of odour management at the facility going back to the early 1990s, see it as a temporary problem that we can full resolve,” Jeff Leech, regional vice president of Harvest Power, told The Richmond Review last week.

“We are absolutely committed to dealing with this issue, and given our good record of odour management at the facility going back to the early 1990s, see it as a temporary problem that we can full resolve.”

A large part of the problem is expected to be addressed by a new multi-million dollar anaerobic digester that recently came online, and encapsulates the composting process into a closed-air system.

Harvest Power has set up a community hotline to respond to inquiries, comments and complaints at 604-836-8387.