While cultivating peonies, roses and lilies may produce wonderfully fragrant scents, grow house odor tend to be more pungent and unpleasant. With grow house operations expanding rapidly in North America, this has become even more of a problem. However, odor regulations are quickly changing to address this issue. Driven by community complaints, local governments are having conversations about new regulations that require large-scale grow facilities to implement more effective odor mitigation plans.
Managing odors at grow facilities and greenhouses can be a daunting task because the odors produced by hemp (where permitted and licensed under all applicable state and federal laws and regulations) can be overwhelmingly pervasive). Many businesses have turned to masking agents such as liquid or chemical sprays that temporarily mask the odors, but don’t fully remove them; they introduce even more chemicals into the environment. Aside from upset neighbors, facilities cultivating hemp that use these types of odor control products are also facing obstacles getting licensed.
Health Canada, the organization that regulates everything from access to health services to drug and odor regulations in Canada, requires that all grow house facilities obtain a federal license. They have been imposing more stringent requirements around odor control, and local governments are following suit. An influx of resident complaints may also be driving local governments to limit licenses to hemp facilities that don’t have a proper odor mitigation plan.
Provinces and cities across Canada, from British Columbia to Ontario, are facing resistance from both residents and local governing bodies. The cities are limiting licenses to grow facilities and greenhouses that use masking agents for odor mitigation as they have been shown to be ineffective. Why? Because the odors can still escape, which means more complaints from the surrounding communities.
In Pelham, Ontario, new grow houses have been banned and existing ones are prohibited from expanding their facilities due to poor odor control. In Vancouver, the Metro Vancouver Regional District’s (MVRD) Climate Change Action Committee is also considering stricter regulations. They’re proposing restrictions that would require commercial grow facilities to upgrade their odor control equipment or purchase entirely new equipment that is better suited for odor mitigation. This can be a concern for growers due to the associated costs of carbon filtration. However, at Purafil, we have done extensive research and testing to engineer medias with a significantly longer service life than traditional base carbons. This means a lower total cost of ownership for growers.
While the federal government in Canada does require HVAC documentation to prove that these grow facilities do indeed have air filtration systems in place, city governments are taking it a step further. To comply with these more stringent demands and to be a good neighbor, facilities growing hemp will need more effective solutions. Purafil’s SPHINX™ line is the complete odor solution. *
SPHINX, a line of media, filters and equipment designed to meet the unique needs of the hemp market, provides complete and permanent grow house odor removal to make complying with new regulations easier. The media was custom engineered after extensive gas sampling in multiple facilities across North America, which allowed us to address odorous gases commonly found in these facilities such as terpenes. While SPHINX Odor and Odor Max help minimize powdery mildew and mold, SPHINX Yield+ removes 99.99% of it.
Ready to remedy the grow house odor problem and get your license? Already have your license but want to expand your facility? SPHINX’s custom media blends, equipment and filters provide the total solution. Not to mention, your neighbors will thank you!
Contact the technical experts to solve your air quality needs today
*Purafil products and services are intended to be used only in compliance with activities that are permitted and licensed under all applicable state and federal laws and regulations.
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