RECYCLING OF SEWAGE SLUDGE TO LAND: LEGISLATIVE, SCIENTIFIC AND PRACTICAL CONSIDERATIONS

摘要

Sludge recycling to land requires that a number of environmental, legislative, agricultural, economic and social issues be considered. This paper outlines the use made of a number of spatial and aspatial digital datasets to help address some of these issues. In particular, they are of value in assessing the potential impact of regulatory changes concerning permitted heavy metal concentrations in soils. They have also been used to assess the suitability of land for sludge recycling and, when integrated with information on sludge quantities and sources, help determine whether a recycling strategy is sustainable. Sludge recycling should also be compatible with existing farming practice, in particular livestock farming and with specific cropping rotations; examples are presented to illustrate their potential impact.