We respond to odour complaints
EPA responds to reports of odour from industrial sources and large-scale facilities. These include:
- sewage treatment plants
- abattoirs
- animal processors
- landfills
- composting facilities.
Our authorised officers can verify odour reports.
Our Odour fact sheet (publication 1468) can help you understand:
- how we respond to complaints about odour
- how we regulate odour.
We give advice about odour
EPA can advise businesses about managing odour. We can also give local councils health advice on odour from local sources, like homes and shops.
We give odour guidelines for businesses
We give odour guidelines to help businesses comply with the law and minimise their impact on the environment.
- Assessing and controlling risk: A guide for business (publication 1695)
- Demonstrating best practice (publication 1517)
We give industry-specific odour guidelines
We provide practical information to help manage odour in different industries.
- Designing, constructing and operating composting facilities (publication 1588)
- Motor vehicle repair and service premises (publication IWRG642)
- Minimising VOC emissions from Victoria’s printing industry (publication 940)
- Determination of odour concentration by dynamic olfactometry (publication 1666)
- Recommended separation distances for industrial residual air emissions guidelines (publication 1518)
- A guide to the sampling and analysis of air emissions and air quality (publication 440)
We issue permissions
EPA also issues licences, permits and registrations.
Some businesses, like landfills or composting facilities, must have an EPA licence to operate. To keep their licence, a business may have to make sure that odour doesn’t escape their premises.
Businesses may have to get a development licence if they want to build new facilities, such as:
- sale yards
- piggeries
- feedlots.
Read more about odour
Reviewed 20 January 2023
