Summary
What you must do to manage odour when you apply for, change (vary) or hold an environmental permit.
To have an environmental permit, you need to:
- prepare a risk assessment and odour management plan for approval, when necessary
- comply with your odour permit condition
- prevent serious pollution
This guidance covers:
- what the law says you must do to manage odour
- how the Environment Agency assesses odour from regulated activities, including permit compliance
- how to carry out an odour risk assessment
- what you must include in an odour management plan
- what serious odour pollution is
- the best available techniques (BAT) and appropriate measures for activities that are potentially odorous
Other guidance you need to follow
You also need to follow the general guidance on:
- environmental permitting - the ‘core guidance’
- risk assessments for your environmental permit
- control and monitor emissions for your environmental permit
- best available techniques: environmental permits
This odour management guidance supports the general guidance, which you need to follow as a priority.
You should also check the technical guidance for industry sectors. This may cover the best available techniques (BAT) and appropriate measures for odour control for your sector. If in doubt, this odour management guidance has priority over the sector-specific guidance.
Contents
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The definition of odour pollution that the Environment Agency uses to regulate industry and protect the public.
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How your environmental permit tells you to manage odour pollution.
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The basic odour control measures you must use for any regulated activity.
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How to monitor and assess odorous emissions in your permitted activity.
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How to assess the impact of odour from your permitted activity on the public.
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How to write an odour management plan for your permitted activity.