The Environment Protection Authority (EPA) said it has conducted more than 36 inspections and issued eight compliance notices in relation to recent reports of odour in Melbourne’s inner west.
The EPA said its team of scientists and authorised officers have inspected 22 sites since the operation started in December.
Meat-processing plants, tanneries and chemical plants are among the businesses targeted in the inspection program with more than one potential source identified.
According to the EPA, those companies must immediately identify the odour risks on site and develop plans to manage them.
EPA west metropolitan regional manager Julia Gaitan said the EPA would regulate the issue to the full extent of its powers.
“The community of the inner west have a right to enjoy their backyards without being impacted by odours, or open their windows on a hot night without worrying about what they’ll smell,” Ms Gaitan said.
She emphasised the operation was complex, and some of the remedial works required would take time.
“We are taking action to hold industries to account,” Ms Gaitan said.
“If you run a business that generates offensive smells, you have a legal duty to manage your business so those smells don’t affect the community. If you deliberately fail to manage this, EPA will hold you to account.
“We won’t tolerate operators who don’t take that responsibility seriously.”
The EPA said it has also responded to a surge of complaints as light winds and warmer temperatures spread odours through Sunshine and surrounding suburbs in January and February, deploying officers after hours to trace the offensive smells to their origin.
The EPA said that unlike other forms of pollution, such as noise or dust, there is no technology that can detect odour in real time.
Ms Gaitan said that meant the community had a vital role to play in helping EPA.
“The human nose is the most sensitive tool we have for detecting odour, and we rely on evidence from our trained officers and the public,” she said.
To report odours, call EPA’s 24-hour contact centre 1300 372 842 or go to epa.vic.gov.au/make-report to make a report.
