Latest news with #sewagesludge
The Guardian
14-07-2025
- General
- The Guardian
Waste disposal practices are harming the environment
Your article (Millions of tonnes of toxic sewage sludge spread on UK farmland every year, 7 July) gives some insight into the environmental impact of the practice and the paucity of regulatory control. The legal case had been made as far back as 2015 that the spreading of sewage sludge – which the water industry prefers to call 'biosolids' – should be brought under the potentially much tighter environmental permitting system that applies to the spreading of other industrial wastes applied to land for agricultural benefit. Not surprisingly, the very mention that sewage sludge be treated as a 'waste' drew strong resistance from water companies that feared a collapse in the market. However, this is only part of the story. The ban on dumping at sea, coupled with the move away from landfill, has seen a huge shift from putting waste in one place to smearing it in ever more discrete parcels over farmland and elsewhere, purportedly for ecological improvement. In additional to sewage sludge, there are construction waste soils, waste compost and anaerobic digestate, plus a range of non‑waste soil improvers deposited. Examples such as pig carcasses in compost on farmland testify to what some people will try to get away with if not properly regulated. While there may well be good examples of using treated waste to improve soil, the cumulative environmental burden of the range of practices is largely unchecked and GalvinFormer policy adviser, Environment Agency and Defra There is a £6m research project studying the use of pyrolysis on sewage sludge that should assist in sequestering carbon in the soil and which may reduce pollutants like Pfas – so-called 'forever chemicals'. The project undertaken by Thames Water, Ofwat and other collaborators aims to deliver a continuous flow system that could be widely deployed, and the research is due to complete in 2027. If successful, this technology would allow our sewage sludge to be used as an agricultural input while meeting our wider needs to reduce pollution and climate emissions. However, we will need to further invest in our water-treatment system. Can the privatised water industry meet the challenge?Andrew WoodOxford Have an opinion on anything you've read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
The Guardian
08-07-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
Millions of tonnes of toxic sewage sludge spread on UK farmland every year
Millions of tonnes of treated sewage sludge is spread on farmland across the UK every year despite containing forever chemicals, microplastics and toxic waste, and experts say the outdated current regulations are not fit for purpose. An investigation by the Guardian and Watershed has identified England's sludge-spreading hotspots and shown where the practice could be damaging rivers. Sludge – the solid matter left over after sewage treatment – is laden with Pfas 'forever chemicals', flame retardants, pharmaceuticals, microplastics, and toxic waste from homes and industry. Water companies rebrand it as biosolids and give or sell it to farmers as a nutrient-rich fertiliser. It is spread over vast areas under light-touch regulation and minimal scrutiny, unmonitored for toxic substances. 'On the outside it appears to be 'black gold' – containing nitrogen and phosphates valuable for soil,' a water industry expert said. 'But hidden within it are microplastics, Pfas forever chemicals, endocrine disruptors, pharmaceuticals and heavy metals.' About 87% of the UK's 3.6m tonnes of sewage sludge is applied to farmland. An Environment Agency (EA) officer, speaking anonymously, said: 'People have seen the sewage in rivers … they need to know about the sludge, where it goes and what's in it.' The water industry's own chemicals investigation programme found hormone-damaging nonylphenols and phthalates, the banned carcinogen PFOS, antibiotics, antimicrobials and anti-corrosion chemicals in every sample tested from 11 treatment works. Scientists from Cardiff and Manchester universities estimate that 31,000 to 42,000 tonnes of microplastics are spread on European farmland annually via sludge, with the UK possibly facing the worst contamination. Rules set in 1989 require testing only for a few heavy metals, and EA insiders say they are 'not fit for purpose'. The investigation identified about 34,000 registered sites in England where sludge is stored, usually before being spread at the same site or on a field nearby, although it can sometimes be transported long distances. Of these, about 33,000 sites are defined as being agricultural land. In 2023 alone, more than 768,000 tonnes of dry solids were spread across 152,000 hectares. Figures from the past decade consistently fall between 715,000 and 800,000 tonnes. Some counties are more affected than others: Hampshire, Lincolnshire, North Yorkshire and Essex have the highest number of sites, with 6,371 between them. Sludge-spreading is governed by waste exemptions, allowing companies to store or apply waste on land without an environmental permit, provided certain conditions are met such as avoiding significant risk to water, soil, air or wildlife. But enforcement is weak. 'No one checks. No one cares,' said one EA insider. An EA officer explained that sludge toxicity depends on local sources: 'Anywhere with an industrial estate will likely produce more contaminated sludge than a rural area.' Industrial waste, such as landfill leachate, is often tankered into sewage works, mixed with domestic waste, and the resulting sludge is spread under the same rules as any biosolid. Contaminated fields become silent sources of pollution. Even uncontaminated sludge can be a problem if mismanaged. When too many nutrients reach rivers, they fuel algal blooms that block sunlight and starve aquatic life of oxygen – a process called eutrophication. The investigation found that one in 20 sludge storage sites in England are within 100 metres of a river, and 1,277 sites are within 500 metres of waters already classed as eutrophic by the EA. The investigation found that 73% of all sludge sites – 23,844 – are within nitrate vulnerable zones (NVZs), where strict rules apply due to pollution risks. In England, no rivers meet chemical standards and just 14% meet ecological ones. Sludge-spreading occurs in Wales and Scotland, too. Almost a quarter of sludge storage sites in Scottish locations that could be identified are within NVZs. A study from the James Hutton Institute found microplastic levels rose by 1,450% after four years of sludge-spreading in North Lanarkshire and remained elevated 22 years later. In Northern Ireland, most sludge is incinerated. Richard Benwell, Wildlife and Countryside Link's chief executive, said: 'Though sludge could be a beneficial fertiliser, it is mixed with the dregs of chemical pollutants. Damaging Pfas, BPA and glyphosate are prevalent in sludge. Regulation must be strengthened to protect public health and the environment.' Prof Rupert Hough, of the James Hutton Institute, said: 'At the moment, sludge will only be checked for metals and the receiving environment is checked for metals but I don't think it gets checked rigorously. 'We all put chemicals down the drain, take medicines – these end up in the sludge and on land, and can enter the food chain.' He said the alternative options – landfilling and incineration – had capacity limits and high costs. 'The cost of removing chemicals from sludge is also prohibitively expensive … the industry has few options,' he said. A water industry source said: 'Colleagues in the industry are not out to commit evil in their public service of water management. They're just constrained by a lack of research and development.' A spokesperson for Water UK said water companies were backing research and trialling new uses for bioresources, including as aviation fuel. 'The UK has banned some products with microplastics – we need the same for Pfas, plus a national cleanup plan funded by polluting manufacturers. Contaminants cross borders, which is why we're calling for coordinated action across Europe.' Shubhi Sharma, of the charity Chem Trust, said the government used lack of funding as an excuse for 'failing to prevent our farmlands from being poisoned'. She called for tighter chemical restrictions and a 'polluter pays' model. 'France has already introduced taxes for Pfas polluters. The UK should follow,' she said. The EA said sludge must not harm soil or water, and that it enforced strict rules, including through more than 4,500 farm inspections last year, resulting in more than 6,000 pollution-reducing actions. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said it wanted safe, sustainable sludge use and it has launched an independent water commission to review the regulatory framework in collaboration with the EA, farmers and water companies.
The Guardian
07-07-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
‘A Trojan horse': how toxic sewage sludge became a threat to the future of British farming
For decades, sewage sludge has been quietly spread across Britain's farmland, marketed as a nutrient-rich fertiliser. But insiders and scientists warn that hidden within it is a mix of household and industrial chemicals such as Pfas ('forever chemicals'), pharmaceuticals, pesticides, hormone-damaging chemicals and microplastics, threatening the long-term health of the land. Every year, 768,000 tonnes of this byproduct of wastewater treatment is spread over 150,000 hectares of agricultural land in England. The practice is banned in some countries, such as Switzerland, but in the UK it continues with little scrutiny and has become a covert route for dumping toxic industrial waste, experts say. 'It's a Trojan horse,' said a water sector insider. 'Pfas, pharmaceuticals, endocrine disruptors and microplastics hidden in sludge threaten the long-term sustainability of humanity's farmland.' These pollutants are not tested for under current regulations, which only require screening for a handful of heavy metals. Spreading sludge is incentivised because it is the cheapest disposal method. 'It would cost water companies a lot to get rid of it themselves,' said an Environment Agency (EA) officer, who asked to remain anonymous. 'So they're happy to give it to farmers cheaply or for free.' For farmers, rising fertiliser costs make it appear a win-win. 'It's a closed loop where everyone absolves themselves of costs,' the officer said. Industries also benefit by sending liquid waste to wastewater plants, which is cheaper than incineration or other methods. 'Some water companies have made big business decisions around taking industrial wastewater and getting paid for it,' said a second EA insider. Both sources are concerned about using sewage works to dispose of hazardous waste – especially landfill leachate, which is often added to systems unequipped to treat it. 'As soon as you let industrial waste into your sewer network, your sewage becomes hazardous waste,' said the first EA officer. 'Masking it as sludge and calling it fertiliser is a problem.' The result is a system that financially benefits water companies, farmers and industry – but not the public or the environment. 'If it's seen to be given away it could be viewed as a waste, and they absolutely abhor the waste label,' said the second EA source. 'The water companies say they can make a profit from it but they are very reluctant to give us any hard data – they claim commercial confidentiality.' Dr David Tompkins, a soil and waste expert at the consultancy WSP, said: 'It's what's in it – and what we don't remove – that's the problem. We're dealing with Pfas, microplastics, flame retardants and other hazards.' Regulations set in 1989 are no longer fit for purpose, the second EA source said. 'Metal levels have dropped, so the system says 'great, we're fine' – but everything else is ignored.' Oversight is weak, they said. 'We won't know when or how much sludge is going to be spread. Records are kept by the water industry, and they like it that way.' 'Digesters are continuous systems and are designed to remove pathogens, not these chemicals,' said a water expert. Even then, 'new sludge mixes with old, and some is removed before it's fully digested', they said. 'A portion of what goes to land is not properly treated.' Scientists suspect these contaminants are entering the food chain. 'We've seen Pfas and pharmaceuticals accumulate in crops and livestock,' said the expert. But there is no requirement to test food for these substances and therefore little data on it. The EA has long known sludge contains pollutants. A 2017 internal report warned of physical contaminants 'potentially resulting in soils becoming unsuitable for agriculture'. That information was not shared with farmers. 'Quite the opposite,' said Georgia Elliott-Smith of the campaign group Fighting Dirty. 'In 2022, farmers were incentivised by Defra to spread sewage sludge as part of the sustainable farming initiative.' Defra says it encouraged organic matter use generally, without specifying sludge. 'At a time when British farming is on its knees,' Elliott-Smith added, 'the government has again prioritised corporate interests. Farmers now face a hopeless choice: cheap but toxic sludge, or costly agrochemicals.' In Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands, sludge spreading on farmland has been reduced or banned. Switzerland incinerates all its sludge and stores the ash for phosphorus recovery. Tompkins noted: 'They know it's expensive. But they've decided it's necessary.' In the UK, political will is lacking. 'It's regulation by inertia,' Tompkins added. 'The Environment Agency is working within tight budgets that can limit its monitoring capacity.' Sign up to Down to Earth The planet's most important stories. Get all the week's environment news - the good, the bad and the essential after newsletter promotion Richard Benwell, the CEO of Wildlife and Countryside Link, said: 'Other countries are paying attention, with bans in some US states on Pfas-polluted sludge, as well as in several European countries. It's time for the UK government to set tough standards to stop this chemical pollutant ending up on farms, along with action to cut down on these harmful chemicals at their source.' For Tompkins, 'we need to price food and water properly. Regulations tend toward the minimum baseline. If we want better, we'll have to pay for it. Sludge has value but the way we manage it destroys that value.' Critics also point to the voluntary 'safe sludge matrix', a guide developed by industry and consultants, as a fig leaf. 'There is nothing safe about the safe sludge matrix,' said one industry expert. 'It's a PR exercise,' said the second EA insider. 'It was designed to protect [water companies'] access to the land bank. They don't want retailers or farmers losing confidence in spreading.' The consultants ADAS were involved in the creation of the matrix. A spokesperson said it was introduced to address food safety and human health risks from microbial pathogens after a year of intensive consultations. The agreement was made between Water UK and the British Retail Consortium, and included inputs from a range of interested parties including the EA, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, as well as the National Farmers' Union, Country Land and Business Association, food manufacturers and food processors, it said. Martin Lines, the CEO of the Nature Friendly Farming Network, said: 'Farmers want to protect their soils and grow safe food, but they're being put in a tough position. Sewage sludge is being spread with little testing or transparency. Contaminants like Pfas and microplastics shouldn't be anywhere near farmland. Without proper regulation, this isn't a circular economy – it's a failure of oversight.' A long-promised regulatory overhaul through environmental permitting regulations was due in 2023, but the deadline passed with no new date in sight. Experts say a better system would start upstream, controlling what enters treatment plants. New EU rules will require pharmaceutical and personal care product makers to pay 80% of waste treatment costs, but the UK has no such mechanism. 'We're not in control of the life cycle of the molecules we create,' said a water expert. 'They go out into the biosphere and build up. All these substances are accumulating.' Some argue the legal tools already exist. According to Tompkins, 'there's a clause that could be interpreted to say 'anything hazardous' should be checked. So if we wanted to look for all these other things, we could.' Ultimately, said the first EA source, 'once you let industrial waste into your works, what comes out isn't sewage sludge. It's hazardous waste.' Water UK said spreading bioresources was a longstanding, regulated practice that helps farmers and reduces reliance on chemical fertilisers. While some contain Pfas or microplastics, it said, legal standards and test methods were lacking and had to be set by government. It said water companies were supporting research and trialling uses like biofuels. The Environment Agency said sludge must not harm soil or water and that it enforced strict rules, with thousands of farm inspections each year. Defra said it wanted sludge to be used safely and sustainably and had launched an independent water commission to review the rules.
The Guardian
07-07-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
Millions of tonnes of toxic sewage sludge spread on UK farmland every year
Millions of tonnes of treated sewage sludge is spread on farmland across the UK every year despite containing forever chemicals, microplastics and toxic waste, and experts say the outdated current regulations are not fit for purpose. An investigation by the Guardian and Watershed has identified England's sludge-spreading hotspots and shown where the practice could be damaging rivers. Sludge – the solid matter left over after sewage treatment – is laden with Pfas 'forever chemicals', flame retardants, pharmaceuticals, microplastics, and toxic waste from homes and industry. Water companies rebrand it as biosolids and give or sell it to farmers as a nutrient-rich fertiliser. It is spread over vast areas under light-touch regulation and minimal scrutiny, unmonitored for toxic substances. 'On the outside it appears to be 'black gold' – containing nitrogen and phosphates valuable for soil,' a water industry expert said. 'But hidden within it are microplastics, Pfas forever chemicals, endocrine disruptors, pharmaceuticals and heavy metals.' About 87% of the UK's 3.6m tonnes of sewage sludge is applied to farmland. An Environment Agency (EA) officer, speaking anonymously, said: 'People have seen the sewage in rivers … they need to know about the sludge, where it goes and what's in it.' The water industry's own chemicals investigation programme found hormone-damaging nonylphenols and phthalates, the banned carcinogen PFOS, antibiotics, antimicrobials and anti-corrosion chemicals in every sample tested from 11 treatment works. Scientists from Cardiff and Manchester universities estimate that 31,000 to 42,000 tonnes of microplastics are spread on European farmland annually via sludge, with the UK possibly facing the worst contamination. Rules set in 1989 require testing only for a few heavy metals, and EA insiders say they are 'not fit for purpose'. The investigation identified about 34,000 registered sites in England where sludge is stored, usually before being spread at the same site or on a field nearby, although it can sometimes be transported long distances. Of these, about 33,000 sites are defined as being agricultural land. In 2023 alone, more than 768,000 tonnes of dry solids were spread across 152,000 hectares. Figures from the past decade consistently fall between 715,000 and 800,000 tonnes. Some counties are more affected than others: Hampshire, Lincolnshire, North Yorkshire and Essex have the highest number of sites, with 6,371 between them. Sludge-spreading is governed by waste exemptions, allowing companies to store or apply waste on land without an environmental permit, provided certain conditions are met such as avoiding significant risk to water, soil, air or wildlife. But enforcement is weak. 'No one checks. No one cares,' said one EA insider. An EA officer explained that sludge toxicity depends on local sources: 'Anywhere with an industrial estate will likely produce more contaminated sludge than a rural area.' Industrial waste, such as landfill leachate, is often tankered into sewage works, mixed with domestic waste, and the resulting sludge is spread under the same rules as any biosolid. Contaminated fields become silent sources of pollution. Even uncontaminated sludge can be a problem if mismanaged. When too many nutrients reach rivers, they fuel algal blooms that block sunlight and starve aquatic life of oxygen – a process called eutrophication. The investigation found that one in 20 sludge storage sites in England are within 100 metres of a river, and 1,277 sites are within 500 metres of waters already classed as eutrophic by the EA. The investigation found that 73% of all sludge sites – 23,844 – are within nitrate vulnerable zones (NVZs), where strict rules apply due to pollution risks. In England, no rivers meet chemical standards and just 14% meet ecological ones. Sludge-spreading occurs in Wales and Scotland, too. Almost a quarter of sludge storage sites in Scottish locations that could be identified are within NVZs. A study from the James Hutton Institute found microplastic levels rose by 1,450% after four years of sludge-spreading in North Lanarkshire and remained elevated 22 years later. In Northern Ireland, most sludge is incinerated. Richard Benwell, Wildlife and Countryside Link's chief executive, said: 'Though sludge could be a beneficial fertiliser, it is mixed with the dregs of chemical pollutants. Damaging Pfas, BPA and glyphosate are prevalent in sludge. Regulation must be strengthened to protect public health and the environment.' Prof Rupert Hough, of the James Hutton Institute, said: 'At the moment, sludge will only be checked for metals and the receiving environment is checked for metals but I don't think it gets checked rigorously. 'We all put chemicals down the drain, take medicines – these end up in the sludge and on land, and can enter the food chain.' He said the alternative options – landfilling and incineration – had capacity limits and high costs. 'The cost of removing chemicals from sludge is also prohibitively expensive … the industry has few options,' he said. A water industry source said: 'Colleagues in the industry are not out to commit evil in their public service of water management. They're just constrained by a lack of research and development.' A spokesperson for Water UK said water companies were backing research and trialling new uses for bioresources, including as aviation fuel. 'The UK has banned some products with microplastics – we need the same for Pfas, plus a national cleanup plan funded by polluting manufacturers. Contaminants cross borders, which is why we're calling for coordinated action across Europe.' Shubhi Sharma, of the charity Chem Trust, said the government used lack of funding as an excuse for 'failing to prevent our farmlands from being poisoned'. She called for tighter chemical restrictions and a 'polluter pays' model. 'France has already introduced taxes for Pfas polluters. The UK should follow,' she said. The EA said sludge must not harm soil or water, and that it enforced strict rules, including through more than 4,500 farm inspections last year, resulting in more than 6,000 pollution-reducing actions. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said it wanted safe, sustainable sludge use and it has launched an independent water commission to review the regulatory framework in collaboration with the EA, farmers and water companies.
The Guardian
04-07-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
Landmark US study reveals sewage sludge and wastewater plants tied to Pfas pollution
Sewage sludge and wastewater treatment plants are major sources of Pfas water pollution, new research finds, raising questions about whether the US is safely managing its waste. A first-of-its-kind study tested rivers bordering 32 sewage sludge sites, including wastewater treatment plants and fields where the substance is spread as fertilizer – it found concerning levels of Pfas around all but one. The study is the first to sample water up- and downstream from sites, and to test around the country. It found the levels downstream were higher for at least one Pfas compound 95% of the time, suggesting that the sludge sites are behind the increased pollution levels. 'We have an indication of very widespread problems and significant exposures that people are going to be facing,' said Kelly Hunter Foster, an environmental attorney with the Waterkeeper Alliance, which conducted the study. Pfas are a class of about 15,000 compounds that are dubbed 'forever chemicals' because they do not naturally break down, and accumulate in the human body and environment. The chemicals are linked to a range of serious health problems like cancer, liver disease, kidney issues, high cholesterol, birth defects and decreased immunity. Sludge is a mix of human and industrial waste that is a byproduct of the wastewater treatment process. Its disposal is expensive, and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) allows it to be spread on cropland as 'biosolid' fertilizer because it is also rich in plant nutrients. But public health advocates have blasted the practice because the nation spends billions of dollars annually treating water only to take the toxic byproduct, insert it into the food supply and re-pollute water. Wastewater treatment plants' effluent, or allegedly clean water that they spit back into water systems, often contain high levels of Pfas. Most of the levels far exceeded the EPA's draft guidance for Pfas in surface waters, which is as low as 0.0009 parts per trillion for PFOA, one of the most common and dangerous types of compounds. The authors looked at water in 19 states, and found the highest levels in Detroit's Rouge River, which showed 44ppt of PFOA; North Carolina's Haw River; South Carolina's Pocotaligo River and Maryland's Potomac River. The largest increase around a wastewater plant was found in the Rouge River, where Detroit's mammoth facility spits Pfas-tainted effluent. The chemicals' levels jumped by 146% to about 80ppt for all Pfas. The Pocotaligo, Haw, and Santa Ana River in southern California saw similar spikes. The largest increase around a field on which sewage sludge was spread was found in the Dragoon Creek near Spokane, Washington, where total Pfas levels jumped from about 0.63 ppt to about 33ppt, an increase of over 5,100%. The EPA has long resisted calls to ban the spreading of sewage sludge on agricultural fields, though a 2024 lawsuit that alleges Clean Water Act violations could force some regulatory action. The Trump administration has scrapped the rulemaking process for industrial discharges of Pfas that Joe Biden's EPA began. That would have forced treatment plants to rein in their pollution.
