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

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.