Implications of new national policies on management of sewage sludge for a Swedish municipality

The document examines two policy options recommended by a 2018 Swedish Government inquiry: a total ban on sewage sludge reuse or a limited ban allowing application only if strict quality standards are met. It highlights that while both aim to reduce environmental risks and improve phosphorus recycling, a total ban would render existing investments in certification programs like REVAQ obsolete and necessitate costly transitions to incineration and ash-based phosphorus recovery. Using Uppsala as an example, the brief argues that a limited ban is preferable as it protects upstream pollution reduction efforts and preserves the value of organic matter in sludge.

• A 2018 Swedish Government inquiry proposed two policy alternatives for sewage sludge management: a complete ban on all agricultural and other reuse options, or a limited ban that allows farmland spreading only if strict quality standards are met, while still prohibiting landscaping or landfill capping.
• A total ban on agricultural reuse would likely force municipalities to adopt incineration and recover phosphorus from ash, a transition that requires significant investment and coordination. The document notes that Germany expects a similar transition to take 12 years, despite already having more incineration infrastructure in place.
• For frontrunner municipalities like Uppsala, which increased sludge spreading to 65% in 2018 with a target of 80% by 2020, a total ban would result in stranded investments in the REVAQ certification programme and supply chains.
• The authors recommend the second policy option (limited ban) because it preserves the value of organic matter for soil improvement, which is lost during incineration, and protects existing 'upstream' work to reduce pollution at the source.

APA

Rasmussen, M., Olsson, O., Trimmer, C., Barquet, K., & Rosemarin, A. (2020). Implications of new national policies on management of sewage sludge for a Swedish municipality. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/bonusreturn-policybrief2020-sweden-eng.pdf

Chicago

Rasmussen, Mark, Olle Olsson, Caspar Trimmer, Karina Barquet, and Arno Rosemarin. Implications of new national policies on management of sewage sludge for a Swedish municipality. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2020. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/bonusreturn-policybrief2020-sweden-eng.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Rasmussen |first1=Mark |last2=Olsson |first2=Olle |last3=Trimmer |first3=Caspar |last4=Barquet |first4=Karina |last5=Rosemarin |first5=Arno |title=Implications of new national policies on management of sewage sludge for a Swedish municipality |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=February 2020 |url=https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/bonusreturn-policybrief2020-sweden-eng.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rasmussen2020implications, author = {Rasmussen, Mark and Olsson, Olle and Trimmer, Caspar and Barquet, Karina and Rosemarin, Arno}, title = {{Implications of new national policies on management of sewage sludge for a Swedish municipality}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2020}, month = feb, url = {https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/bonusreturn-policybrief2020-sweden-eng.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }