Social Impact of Odor Induced by Municipal Solid Waste Treatment Facilities in Ho Chi Minh City
Linh Hoang Tran *
Department of Transdisciplinary Science and Engineering, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan.
Takehiko Murayama
Department of Transdisciplinary Science and Engineering, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan.
Shigeo Nishikizawa
Department of Transdisciplinary Science and Engineering, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Landfills are mostly used to manage solid waste in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Due to inappropriate administration, there have been numerous issues over the years relating to odor and leachate. The purpose of this study is to explore the impact of odor stemming from Da Phuoc landfill site on surrounding areas. A questionnaire survey was administered through face-to-face interviews with 409 residents living in the affected areas. The findings of this study indicate that the odor perception of residents significantly influences their attitudes towards waste disposal sites. The results show that odor affects not only the region around municipal solid waste (MSW) treatment facilities but regions more than 7 km away as well. The data indicates that the odor emanating from the MSW disposal site negatively affects the daily life of many residents. This study is an effort to finding a solution to reduce the impact of odor generated from the landfill site on nearby residential areas.
Keywords: Odor perception, landfill site, municipal solid waste, Vietnam