Community modelling: a tool for correlating estimates of exposure with perception of odour from municipal solid waste (MSW) landfills

Odours from municipal solid waste landfills have the potential to cause significant annoyance and impact to amenity in the environment surrounding sites. In order to assess the impact of odorous emissions on surrounding communities a quantitative model to predict annoyance was developed. The overall objective of this research was to develop the major components of the model namely, assessment of odorous emissions, dispersion and reception by the surrounding community around the landfill site. This study used community modelling as a tool to find a link between dispersion and perception of odour. The research completed a year-round monitoring program engaging people within the local community as regular odour monitors. Estimates of exposure from dispersion analysis were used to compare incidents causing complaint and intensity–concentration plots were fitted for each monitor whose reports were found to be logically consistent with regard to the intensity scaling. Human responses to the vast range of odour intensities, from highly intense source odours through to less intense dispersed odours at monitors' locations, were found to differ greatly. It was observed that the psychophysical models based on the Weber–Fechner law and Power law fitted the data consistently well for the entire range of the intensity scale used, 1–7. However, the other two models, based on Beidler's law and Laffort's equation showed an inconsistency with the intensity scales >3.