Swedish sludge debate gains momentum

In 2020, the Swedish Government carried out an inquiry concerning the spreading of sewage sludge on agricultural land. The Ministry of the Environment is now reviewing the issue. Recently the sludge debate in Sweden intensified.

The new Minister of the Environment and Climate, Per Bolund (Green Party) was interviewed in the magazine Aktuell Hållbarhet (March, 2021), and said that he sees major problems with spreading sludge on agricultural land. He concluded that "I am not prepared to take any risks with the arable land we have, which is an incredibly valuable resource for food security, or take any risks with human health. We have to make use of the nutrients, but avoid the toxic substances that unfortunately are contained in sludge today".

The debate continued in Dagens Industri with an op-ed titled "Stop the spreading of sludge!" by three physicians highlighting pharmaceutical residue and other contaminants in the sludge.

The municipal wastewater treatment association Swedish Water (Svenskt Vatten) responded with its view on the matter, "Sludge on fields poses no risk."

And, for the first time since its inception 13 years ago, Aktuell Hållbarhet included in its annual municipal sustainability survey a question on sludge management:

Has the municipality taken measures to eliminate or reduce the spreading of environmentally hazardous sewage sludge on land?

Based on the survey results, Sweden's Environmentally Best Municipality will be revealed at the conference Hållbar Kommun (Sustainable Municipality) on May 11, 2021. C-Green will be there with a digital stand and will participate in a debate on sludge management. With an open and fact-based discussion, we hope to achieve a more sustainable sludge management – positive for both the climate and C-Green.