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Discussion
also centered on the value of including affected communities in developing
odour control systems. ECSP Managing Director, Brian McLaughlin and his
Senior Technical Director, Australian Phil Cranny, praised the Waste Service
record in this respect. "Community involvement is a real necessity. Odours
being as subjective as they are, you don't know what you're dealing with,
if you don't let them tell you," said McLaughlin.
Cranny
said the American public seemed to be ahead of the rest of the world in
its involvement in odour abatement and pointed out the need for on-going
industrial and community education. He said the seminar had tried to differentiate
the various awareness levels of odours (ie, the toxicity, recognition,
exposure and emission levels). "For instance, hydrogen sulphide, or rotten
egg gas, has a recognition level of 4 parts per billion but is not toxic
until reaches 320 parts per million. So we have this phenomenon of ‘nuisance'
odours which may be unpleasant but quite harmless. In general, toxic levels
are far above recognition levels."
McLaughlin
agrees. "But one of the reasons business finds it so hard to involve local
people is that they're afraid if they say ‘we may be causing a problem',
communities will respond by saying ‘well, you're obviously killing us.'
And there's all sorts of liabilities involved in that." But he said it
was vital for responsible business and government agencies to discuss
odours openly with communities. "That way, people won't assume that by
smelling something, they're automatically endangered. And you'll find 90%
of people are going to be more than willing to listen and learn, as long
as the information you give them is understandable. Then, after education,
you have to let them be the police force."
Waste
Service has set up a 24 hour freecall Odour Hotline for all its facilities
on 1 800 062 086. |
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Is
industry moving globally towards a more sustainable balance between commercial
interests and environmental imperatives? Cranny - "Up to a point. But environmental
managers have still tended to focus on compliance with company or agency
guidelines, rather than promote real advances in environmental awareness."
So how
mature is the environmental industry? McLaughlin - "Well, at best it's
still just learing what we're not doing! The problem of not seeing your
results til five or ten years down the track is especially applicable in
our industry. We regulate by geographical boundaries which simply don't
apply, because we all breathe the same air and drink the same water. So
what's needed is some sort of international environmental council. Someone
has to lead, and then everyone has to join, because the environment and
business are inextricably related. As the ecology deteriorates, after all,
so does the opportunity for profit." |
