The Environment Agency (EA) has published its strategy for safe and sustainable sludge use.

The strategy sets out the purpose, principles and priorities for how the EA will enable safe and sustainable sludge use on land.

It sets out how the EA will:

• enable safe and sustainable sludge use on land
• modernise and clarify the regulatory framework
• develop a consistent approach with the water and waste industry
• protect human health and the environment

The EA has reviewed the current regulatory regime for sludge treatment, storage and use. They looked at the advantages and disadvantages of 4 options.

1. Do nothing.
2. Revise the Sludge (Use in Agriculture) Regulations (SUiAR)
3. Use existing Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations (EPR) regulatory tools.
4. Evolve EPR regulatory tools.

The option selected (option 4) will bring sludge and septic tank sludge into the EPR. The SUiAR will no longer be needed.

The EA confirms that “In most circumstances, the most sustainable option is to recycle it (sludge) to agricultural land as organic manure”