Reuse of industrial sludge

28.2.2020

Question for written answer E-001464/2020
to the Commission
Rule 138
Silvia Sardone (ID)

One facet of the European Green Deal is a new industrial policy based on the circular economy. The sludge reused in agriculture is currently selected on the basis of the production processes from which it originates rather than on the basis of its chemical and physical characteristics. At the same time, Directive 2008/98/EC provides for the recovery of materials within the waste hierarchy.

In the light of this, will the Commission update Directive 86/278/EEC to take into account the composition, agronomic value and environmental quality of sludge, rather than solely its origin?

Does the Commission plan to include the use of sludge of industrial origin in fertilizer production, based on the agronomic and safety studies already conducted in some Member States?

Does it see a need, as part of the European Green Deal, to scale back the use of chemical products in agriculture and propose crop fertilisation methods that are based on by-products of high environmental quality and agronomic value?