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Introduction
From 1997 to 2000 I was chairman of the Water Services Association
(WSA) Sludge Group, later the Water UK Recycling and Wastes Network,
which was responsible for negotiating and implementing the "Safe
Sludge Matrix". This voluntary agreement contained measures
significantly more stringent than required by legislation and
was agreed with the British Retail Consortium, representing the
major food retailers, under the guidance of ADAS. For this work
I was awarded the Ken Roberts Award for Innovation for 2000 by
CIWEM.
In June 2001
I was awarded the OBE for services to the water industry and to
environmental protection.
Background
The application of sewage sludge to land is controlled by the
1986 EU Sludge Directive, brought into UK law by the 1989 Sludge
(Use in Agriculture) Regulations. These, backed up by a Code of
Practice, lay down the sludge treatment process types and land
use practices considered necessary to protect public health, stock
and soil, crops, and also prevent the pollution of watercourses.
There has been no evidence to indicate that sewage sludge applied
in accordance with the Regulations has been associated with any
occurrence of disease in humans or animal. Nevertheless BSE, E
coli 0157 and other food safety incidents led to debate as to
whether the requirements should be strengthened. A Royal Commission
on Environmental Pollution Report (1996) a Water Research Centre
scientific report (1998) and a House of Commons Report (1998)
all indicated that the application of untreated sewage sludge
to grazing land should be phased out, and that the water industry
should move towards the use of more effective sludge treatment
methods.
The Safe Sludge Matrix
During this time some major food retailers began to indicate
that they were considering refusing to buy produce from farmland
to which sewage sludge had been applied. The WSA Sludge Group
responded by producing a Vision Statement which specified the
phasing out of the use of untreated sludge and the introduction
of more stringent sludge treatment and land use restrictions.
This led to negotiations with the British Retail Consortium (BRC)
and the adoption of the Safe Sludge Matrix. Other organisations
played important roles in the discussions including DETR, the
Environment Agency and the National Farmers' Union.
Highlights of the Safe Sludge Matrix are:
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The
use of untreated sludge on farmland for food crops phased
out by the end of 1999, and on all farmland by the end of
2001. |
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Two
levels of sludge treatment recognised |
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Treated
sludge, requiring 2-log kill of indicator organism (E
coli) |
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| 2. |
Enhanced
treated sludge, requiring 6-log kill |
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Treated
sludge not to be applied to the surface of grazing land |
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No restrictions
on the use of enhanced treated sludge apart from those already
in the legislation. |
The Future
The main provisions of the Matrix will form the basis of new Regulations.
They will include a specification for monitoring and enforcement.
The 1986 EU Sludge Directive is also in the process of being revised
although the new Directive is not expected to be in force for
several years.
Consultancy Advice
Norman Lowe Enviro Consulting can provide advice on
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the
provisions of the Safe Sludge Matrix |
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the
likely provisions of the new Regulations and the potential
effects on future requirements for sludge treatment and recycling/disposal
practices |
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the
anticipated changes to the Sludge Directive |
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improving
relationships with stakeholders including local residents
and environmental groups |
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