Tasks under the Sewage Sludge and Biowaste Ordinance

Sewage sludge, biowaste and other secondary raw material fertilisers can be used as valuable fertilisers in agriculture. The prerequisite for this is a delivery note procedure with corresponding examinations of the soils and the fertilisers. The delivery notes are checked factually and technically and the application is approved.

Sewage Sludge Ordinance

The new Sewage Sludge Ordinance (AbfKlärV) came into force on 3 October 2017. In addition to far-reaching changes in the regulations for soil-related sewage sludge utilisation, the legal requirements were created to preserve the phosphate contained in sewage sludge for further use.

In addition to taking into account the requirements of the Fertiliser Ordinance and the Fertiliser Ordinance, soil-related utilisation of sewage sludge is only possible if limit values for the content of heavy metals and various organic pollutants are set for both the sewage sludge and the soil.

pollutant compounds in combination with further application restrictions and maximum quantities for sewage sludge are complied with.

Laboratories with their headquarters in Hesse that carry out these tests in accordance with the Waste Clarification Ordinance (AbfKlärV) or that take soil and sewage sludge samples must be notified (determined) to the RP Kassel and, among other things, provide special proof of quality in the form of annual interlaboratory tests. The notified laboratories can be queried in the ReSyMeSa research portal under the Waste module. Since the existing notifications must be adapted to the new requirements of the AbfKlärV, there are transitional provisions.

The new Sewage Sludge Ordinance requires in § 34 that operators who recycle their sewage sludge in relation to the soil keep a register of, among other things, the quantities of sludge produced and its properties. This information is forwarded to the authority responsible for enforcing the Sewage Sludge Ordinance, for Hesse: the Kassel Regional Council. Here the data are compiled and forwarded to the Federal Statistical Office by 15 July of the following year via the Hessian Ministry for the Environment, Climate Protection, Agriculture and Consumer Protection. The responsible Federal Ministry prepares a summary report for the Commission of the EU every three years.

Due to the extended and more extensive legal restrictions on soil-related utilisation imposed by the new Sewage Sludge Ordinance and the amendment to the Fertiliser Ordinance, the areas eligible for fertilisation are considerably reduced.

In recent years, about 10,500 preliminary notifications were submitted annually in Hesse for the application of sewage sludge as secondary raw material fertiliser on agricultural land. This quantity will be reduced accordingly.

The extensive notification and control procedure is carried out at district level via the agricultural authorities of the districts and is controlled and monitored throughout Hesse by the RP Kassel.

The POLARIS software supports the nationwide networked administrative enforcement according to the Sewage Sludge Ordinance (AbfKlärV).

Sewage sludge recyclers can use "POLARIS Recycler" as an internet-based computerised sewage sludge application. After registering, it is possible to access the POLARIS database of the technical authority online via defined rights and roles and to report advance notifications, enforcement and cancellation notifications to the responsible officer.

Organic Waste Ordinance

The Biowaste Ordinance (BioAbfV) has been in force since 1 October 1998 and regulates the recycling of untreated and treated biowaste (e.g. compost, fermentation residues from biogas plants, etc.) on land used for agriculture, forestry and horticulture.

Furthermore, the ordinance also applies to the treatment and examination of such substances. The regulations of the BioAbfV aim to ensure the hygienic safety of these products and to limit potential pollutant risks.

Biowaste is waste of animal or plant origin that may be subject to further organic degradation processes. In most cases, this is separately collected food waste, green waste or recyclable, organic industrial waste.

Due to their considerable content of nutrients and organic matter, they can be used for fertilisation and soil improvement.