Short description and topics:
The Sewage Sludge Directive (86/278/EEC) could be said to have stood the test of time in that sludge
recycling has expanded since its adoption without environmental problems. Since its adoption,
however, several Member States have put in place stricter national requirements. Moreover, EC
legislation has evolved in many related fields, such as chemicals regulation. Any revision should
aim to retain the flexibility of the original Directive which has permitted sludge recycling to
operate effectively across the wide range of agricultural and other environmental conditions
found within the expanded EU.
The aim of the study is to provide the Commission with the necessary elements for assessing the
environmental, economic and social impacts, including health impacts, of present practices of
sewage sludge use on land, provide an overview of prospective risks and opportunities and identify
policy options related to the use of sewage sludge on land. This could lay the basis for the possible
revision of Community legislation in this field.
Diffuse pollution-->Processes
Diffuse pollution-->Regulation
Soil-->Soil quality
|
