WHO ENFORCES ODOR & HEALTH COMPLIANCE OF RENDERING FACILITIES?

The South Coast AQMD and California Department of Food & Agriculture (CDFA) oversee rendering plant operations.

Vernon has limited jurisdiction over rendering operations and the CDFA and AQMD are in charge of inspecting rendering businesses to ensure compliance with the stringent emission and health standards for such processing plants. The City is not able act as an agent on behalf of these entities to enforce compliance practices.

There are state regulations for rendering facilities that require emission controls, best management practices, and signs posted at the facility that provide contact information to the public for odor complaints. Rule 415, adopted by AQMD in November of 2017, details the guidelines in place for rendering operations. 

When foul odor is detected in the air, it should be reported to the AQMD or the CDFA Meat, Poultry & Egg Safety Branch. Anyone who is experiencing an odor issue is encouraged to contact either or both agencies to make their concern known. 

AQMD
(800) 288-7664
On-line Complaint System

CDFA
(916) 900-5004
Email: cdfa.mpes_feedback@cdfa.ca.gov 

WHAT IS VERNON DOING IN RESPONSE TO ODOR CONCERNS RELATED TO RENDERING FACILITIES?

Vernon is taking action to implement local controls.

Although Vernon does not oversee rendering facility odor compliance, the City recognizes that bad odors can be a nuisance for community members in the southeast Los Angeles area. Concerns of local area residents and workers have been recognized, and the City is prioritizing actions within its realm of control to address the public’s concerns. To that end, Vernon has been working diligently with AQMD to remain informed on the status of rendering facility compliance in Vernon, AQMD enforcement, and is simultaneously exploring methods for educational outreach. Additionally, the City has instituted the following measures to help mitigate the impacts of rendering facilities within Vernon. The following steps are designed to strengthen local controls:

• Commissioned an odor study to enable the city of Vernon to develop a science-based quantitative air quality compliance and enforcement program. 
• Vernon has strengthened requirements for odor mitigation in its review and permitting requirements to ensure that new businesses do not contribute to local odor issues. 
• Continued to modify zoning and improve permitting processes to strengthen local control over prospective businesses that may impact quality of life in the region (including operations that emit excessive odors, noise, etc.). 
  

WHAT IS RENDERING?

Rendering is a form of specialized recycling for animal byproducts that can't go into landfills.

Rendering is, for the most part, a fully sustainable process of repurposing material that would otherwise be discarded. It is a process that converts animal byproducts (out-of-date supermarket meat stock and animal remains) which are generally not allowed in landfills, into repurposed materials such as grease, tallow, and meat meal. Rendering facilities accept the materials, recycle them, and complete their processing to produce finished products such as biofuels, renewable diesel, plastics, fertilizers, paints, candles, animal feed, pet food, lubricants, soap, cosmetics, and fertilizer. Rendering recycles organic materials to a usable end-product, and is essentially carbon negative, avoiding at least 90% of potential greenhouse gas emissions compared with industrial composting.