While markets and environmental issues loom large on a composter’s list of concerns, there is nothing that will arouse public ire faster than offending its nose. And once offended it is very difficult to un-offend it. This article looks at what some composters are doing to keep the public happy … particularly a once-offended public.

By Jan Allen

How many times have you heard about a composting facility slipping into controversy over nuisance odors? How many times has the composter felt unfairly put upon? “Come on, gimme a break” goes the common response. “We are doing something good for the environment, and by the way we were here first!” Sure, some odors are associated with composting. Very few composters claim to operate with zero odors. Additionally, very few really understand the dynamics of public nuisance and how to respond. So these are the conditions we see unfold as the slippery slope of controversy time and time again. So how can a composter break out of this cycle? Here is a primer, complete with prevention, treatment, and appropriate behavior all in one place. So let’s get started.

Appropriate Behavior
It is true that some neighbors are lonely and call often because they like the attention it brings. These are the hobby complainers. Then there are the ones who just want the smell to go away. These are the long-suffering complainers. Then there are the ones who want justice and/or revenge, the ones who want litigation. So what is the appropriate response for a composter when complaints are received? The temptation to ignore complaints is always there. Indifference and a non-response breeds contempt. Contempt breeds ire. Ire makes neighbors talk, even if they don’t like each other. It brings neighborhoods together by virtue of a common experience. The collective experience of the industry is that you might get several chances to address the odor issue.

Most communities truly do appreciate the virtue of recycling organic materials in the big picture, and the litigious urge is repressed in most people up to a point. The appropriate behavior for any composter is to begin to record and understand complaints as soon as a pattern develops. It is generally not difficult to connect wind direction, distance to complainers, facility material handling activities, and time of day to a pattern of complaints. Whether the composter believes there is a problem or not, the complaint history should be related to these four factors as quickly as possible.

If the complaint is indeed upwind or reacting to an unrelated source, then so much the better. Early absolution is a wonderful thing. On the other hand, casting scorn, doubt, or threats on the complainers may make the composter feel righteous, but it will make him or her appear as a public enemy, greedy, and absolutely evil. So before you decide to challenge the sincerity or accuracy of the complaint, consider that you may be creating just enough ire to make this into someone else’s hobby, reason to organize, or opportunity to litigate.

At least by this author’s experience most (but not all) complainers would rather not deal with making the phone call to complain. It increases the caller’s level of stress since he or she must first recognize there is an odor that can no longer be ignored. Nor can it be controlled, which is what makes it stressful in the first place, and calling may require time and loss of anonymity the caller may not want to give up. So if a call is made there is, in all likelihood, an existing nuisance odor.

There are, of course, complaints that are not justified, such as calling campaigns, upwind calls, calls about other odor sources, and insincere calls. That is why the recording of events surrounding complaints is so important. In the end it may not matter because most agencies count calls related to a facility, even if they are not verified. In the case of odors, the facility is usually judged to be guilty since the caller is given the benefit of any doubt.

So here is a blueprint on what can be done to defend a facility against odor complaint assault.

Appropriate Response
The underlying assumption here is that the facility is not in denial about this being a real issue that must be addressed. Here is the checklist:

Record any sort of pattern to the complaints that could be real. For example, complaints are mostly to the southwest of the facility, mostly on cold mornings, never during the middle of the day, etc. You will need to understand the nature of the complaints before you can decide what to do about the odor that does leave the facility.

Don’t attack the complainers or otherwise treat them as the enemy. This will make the issue into a battle of good versus evil, and you would be demonized in any public forum.

Listen to the criticism brought upon the facility and admit your shortcomings and mistakes if you are willing and able. This may be the beginning of your chance to rebuild credibility. If you can’t, just listen and then say you understand the facility’s position.

Appeal to the local enforcement agency (that deals with nuisance odors) for reasonableness and negotiate for engineering solutions over political response. If the issue becomes solely political, you may find you are going to be sacrificed to the angry mob so the politicians can show results. Rational thinking may not automatically occur when the news media report composting as a curse on the surrounding community.

Remember that controversy and crisis are good for the news media. The media cannot be expected to bring calm to the situation. They will benefit more from bad news than good news.

Start counting your allies, such as the gardening public, buyers of your product, homeowners with curbside collection of organic waste, solid waste agencies responsible for meeting recycling goals, and of course friendly elected officials and regulators. You may have to also count the probable votes of any referendum on your fate if such a vote comes to pass. Make personal visits to each elected official who figures into any potential vote.

Come up with a benefit statement for your facility. This should include what you are doing to divert waste from disposal, create a new recycled product, improve the local hydrology and watershed, improve air quality, improve the local landscape, and create jobs in the local economy.

Identify a spokesperson to tell your story and serve as the contact for inquiries. Create a script that tells what you are doing to address odor concerns. Also include the benefit statement in your script so the audience is reminded that you are providing a valuable public service.

Have a contingency plan in the event your permit to operate is restricted or suspended. You are in the business of providing a recycling service and it makes sense to have a backup plan.

So, now that you have a specific action plan for your public response, what are you going to do about the odor? What sort of silver bullet is out there to make this issue go away? Of course, silver bullets can only be found in Hollywood. Odors can be prevented, managed, and treated but never will you completely eliminate odor from composting. There are dozens of vendors offering technology, machinery, and chemicals to zap, neutralize, mask, digest, combine with, or otherwise eliminate odors. Some guarantee results. Others promise “zero” odor.

Think of shopping for odor control like shopping for weight loss or body building products and methods. Some offer miracle results overnight, while others offer success in a more deliberate and systematic way. Many of the devices, products, and methods offer some benefit and improvement, but it is very difficult to measure the results of any one choice by itself. Facilities don’t succeed by buying one single product. Remember the instructions on that diet formula: “You must eat healthy and exercise regularly in addition to using this product.”

Over the years many facilities have found some value in separating preventive alternatives from treatment alternatives. This author has found that preventing odors is always easier than treatment. Treatment requires capture, containment, and treatment for effective results. It is very difficult to treat an odor if the odor has already dispersed. If it is still powerful enough to generate complaints after it has dispersed, the odor will have to be minimized before dispersion occurs.

Prevention
Prompt feedstock preparation is the first order of business for composting. If the feedstock is putrid or malodorous when it arrives at the facility, this is even more critical. Feedstock preparation must be done immediately. Odorous or potentially odorous feedstocks should not be stored or stockpiled. They should be adjusted for density, moisture, carbon, porosity, etc., and placed in composting right away.

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If wastes are received in a putrid or malodorous state, consider what you might do to improve the material before it arrives. One community banned plastic bags since they were fermenting the yardwaste before it arrived at the facility. Another considered the collection frequency as a way to correct the problem. This community had spaced out foodwaste collection to once every three weeks, but it also provided huge containers and charged by the pickup. Consequently the curbside customers were waiting until the container was completely full before taking it to the curb. The result was that the waste sat in the container for up to 12 weeks, which is longer than it took to compost it at the facility. After the program managers saw the putrid material and realized the problem, the collection frequency was increased.

If a feedstock is chronically out of balance, then significant process changes must take place. One yardwaste facility was experiencing seasonal imbalances with grass clippings. During the peak grass season, the overall waste composition arriving each day was 70% to 80% pure grass. The facility had to ultimately agree to limit grass to a certain ton-per-day rate (and percentage of the initial compost feedstock) and find more screening “overs” and other high-carbon, structural amendments.

If the seasonality of waste input to the facility is so dramatic that the process is overloaded, then diversion to other facilities must be considered. One facility built a peaking facility using different (and less costly) technology to compost peak-season material overflow on a less rapid one-batch-per-year basis. Another had to create subcontract agreements with competing facilities to accept peak-season overflow that arrived under contract from various collection and hauling companies.

If a biosolids facility is adversely affected by high moisture, it should consider sludge solids/moisture content in the feedstock formula and create incentives and disincentives. One example is the establishment of “acceptance specifications,” including percent solids. The acceptance criteria would have a sliding scale of percent solids and tip fee. As the solids content declines, the tip fee increases. This means a customer would have to pay more (per ton) for tipping wet, pumpable, low-solids sludge and less for dry, high-solids cake.

Turning frequency and turning schedule can have a significant effect on odor generation. A good operator will consider wind direction (using wind sock, digital wind recorder, weather vane, etc.) before turning piles. If the wind is blowing directly at the complainers, it may be wise to suspend windrow turning for the time being. Turning frequency can vary from one technology to another, so technology selection has to be a factor in this area.

Shape the piles properly when high moisture is a problem. Having an undulating or concave top on the piles will allow rain and snow to accumulate and percolate into the pile. Saturated piles are more likely to be anaerobic and odorous. Reconfiguring the piles to have a conical or sloped surface minimizes absorption of water unnecessarily.

Consider the overall exposed surface of active compost piles. More surface area means more odor emission if the piles are active.

Purchasing Odor Control
The first priority is to avoid or prevent odors. The second priority is to look for ways to phase or progressively implement odor control. If this is possible, it minimizes the cash flow and expense consequences. Each change in technology, facility, or operation will have some effect. It is very difficult to measure performance if many changes are made at once.

Of course, cost is a consideration as well. Try to create a benefit/cost ratio to help you decide what you might accomplish (in your mind, not the vendor’s) for each purchase you make. If you can rent a strategy before you buy it this may be a situation that supports renting. If you can progressively implement changes as you evaluate the results of your efforts, your money will be wisely spent.

What Are the Drivers of the Selection?

• Cost
• Expected benefit
• Time to implement
• Capital cost
• Operating cost
• Can the selection be phased?
• Can incremental changes be made?
• What track record does the selection have?
• Are there customers that can be contacted?
• Complexity
• Reliability
• Is there any way to obtain competing prices?

Accommodating the Selection
Some selected changes are significant and may require short-term disruption of operations. Technology choices often require physical changes. Many odor control strategies require purchase of consumable materials (counteractants, chemicals, neutralizers, etc.). These may be quick to implement but more expensive in the long run. Using a cost/benefit ratio will help determine what infrastructure changes are most promising.

What are the “big guns,” and how do you know when to bring them out? The big guns for facility changes involve major construction and capital investment. They are fundamental changes in how the facility does business. Examples might be enclosure of some of the process or diversion of tonnage to other facilities.

The other type of big gun involves presenting your story for public discourse. It does not involve going to court. It involves spending the resources to listen to the community. Seek credibility by relying on the right representatives to present your story. If you use this big gun, make sure you say what you are going to do. Then make sure you do what you said you were going to do. Actions speak louder than words.

Jan Allen, P.E., is senior technologist for CH2M Hill in Seattle, WA.

MSW - May/June 2005