The paper deals with the problem of unpleasant odors in the environment. Unpleasant odors represent an ecological and social problem, so they have become subject to controls, assessments and regulations. Measures specified in the Environmental Protection Act are necessary in order to improve and preserve air quality. The State Hydrometeorological Institute of the Republic of Croatia is a government body that ensures permanent air quality monitoring, and is responsible for construction of new stations in the state network and for implementing the air quality measurement program. The odors are created by interactions of various volatile chemical compounds that spread from the place of origin depending on the outlet. Such gasses must be sampled and analyzed with appropriate equipment, and odor reduction methods must be applied. The biggest oversights are manifested during waste disposals. Air quality is constantly impaired in the areas of unorganized and organized landfills. Therefore, it is necessary to shift the focus of the landfill to prevention, waste minimization, recycling and pretreatment. Odor control systems operate with varying degrees of success depending on site exposure, receptor proximity, and waste type. In addition to unpleasant odors being most often caused by disposals in landfills, there is also a large amount of wastewater that is released into the environment. That is why it is important to choose adequate methods of preventing the spread of negative effects.