Evaluating the impact of odors from the 1955 landfills in China using a bottom-up approach

•The ranges of the impact of odors from China's 1955 landfills are evaluated.•The CALPUFF model is used to assess the uncertainty of the analysis results.•Large social media datasets reveal how people perceive landfill odors.•Landfill odors impacted 837476 ha with a range of uncertainty of −32.88% to 32.67%.

Landfill odors have created a major concern for the Chinese public. Based on the combination of a first order decay (FOD) model and a ground-level point source Gaussian dispersion model, the impacts from odors emitted from the 1955 landfills in China are evaluated in this paper. Our bottom-up approach uses basic data related to each landfill to achieve a more accurate and comprehensive understanding of impact of landfill odors. Results reveal that the average radius of impact of landfill odors in China is 796 m, while most landfills (46.85%) are within the range of 400–1000 m, in line with the results from previous studies. The total land area impacted by odors has reached 837,476 ha, accounting for 0.09% of China's land territory. Guangdong and Sichuan provinces have the largest land areas impacted by odors, while Tibet Autonomous Region and Tianjin Municipality have the smallest. According to the CALPUFF (California Puff) model and an analysis of social big data, the overall uncertainty of our calculation of the range of odor impacts is roughly −32.88% to 32.67%. This type of study is essential for gaining an accurate and detailed estimation of the affected human population and will prove valuable for addressing the current Not In My Back Yard (NIMBY) challenge in China.