A local resident helps deal with an odor problem

Following a telephone odor complaint, Enrobés de Bigorre decided to take dialogue to a further level by involving the complainer himself. A senior citizen, he agreed to keep a log of various parameters so as to help establishing a relationship between the annoyance he felt, weather conditions (fog, wind direction, temperature) and the company’s production data (type of product being produced, start-up times, production rate, etc.). Thanks to this open-minded attitude and the good faith of all concerned, it was possible to furnish explanations to a number of important points of concern to local residents:

• Coal tar has not been used in asphalt mixes for many years now,
• the asphalt plant has no plans for extension or to increase its volumes,
• an independent laboratory regularly verifies emission levels,
• all elements intended to improve emission quality are subjected to good monitoring practices.

• We were able to improve our understanding of the mechanism by which odors arise, enabling us to reduce them,
• Good quality communications have been established with local residents, making it possible to lessen all site impact, while increasing their understanding and acceptance of the residual inconvenience.