The effect of arduous odours on the community

Abstract

Environmental malodour remains a major source of complaints from communities. This factor is likely to increase, as the urban sprawl steadily encroaches into odour emitting industries. Within Australia, the efficacy of wastewater treatment and biosolids application are been undermined by community barriers due to malodour and its associated annoyance. This thesis is a study of the ways in which malodours and community satisfaction are understood within the context of wastewater treatment and biosolids. This involved a multiple-step research path which has incrementally provided information necessary to produce research and community interaction tools. This research path has centred on six wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) that have provided a diverse set of industry-community interactions. The multiple-step research path has involved review of current literature, complaint management analysis, improving ecological validity of gas chromatography-mass spectrometry/olfactory (GC-MS/O), community and industry surveys, qualitative research for plant managers and land owners, before culminating in the application of online tool for dynamic community engagement. Foremost, a Literature Review assessing the effectiveness of odour and community assessment techniques within the context of community satisfaction guided the research plan. Complaint management procedures have been scrutinised with comparisons to odour report requirements as well as counterparts from other countries. We have also broadened methodologies for GC-MS/O in order to improve outcomes with community members who would not otherwise be represented. Community surveys at three community sites assessed the variation of response between WWTPs of high and low complaint levels, and have defined contributing factors of community satisfaction that have hitherto been disparate within research. We have also explored the under-researched area of industry culture through the use of surveys and plant manager interviews; this has revealed variations in industry attitudes and communicative relationships. These research landmarks have characterised gaps within industry-community engagement; namely establishing common language, appropriate inter-industry communication, appreciating community variance, as well as the adoption of techniques capable of defining malodour events. This thesis contributes both tools for community engagement as well as furthers research on the effect of malodours on communities.