Why You Shouldn’t Discharge Your Sludge Without Appropriate Measures
Handling waste sludge the right way isn’t just good practice – it’s a legal requirement. Whether it’s from wastewater treatment, agricultural operations or industrial processes, failing to manage sludge properly can lead to serious environmental and health consequences. Here we explain why it’s so important to take the right measures and how Atlantic Pumps can help.
It Prevents Pollution
Sludge discharged without proper control or treatment into surface water or groundwater sources, or onto land, can cause serious pollution. These are the same sources used for drinking water and supporting agriculture, so any discharge can harm wildlife as well as pose a threat to human health.
It’s why there are stringent government regulations in place which prevent the release of raw sewage and untreated water. This includes ensuring harmful substances such as pathogens, heavy metals or excess nutrients are carefully dealt with in advance.
Treated sludge (often referred to as biosolids or bioresources) can be beneficial to soil health, replenishing it with nitrogen and phosphorus that plants need, while improving the structure of the soil and its water retention capacity. The Environment Agency, Ofwat and Defra work to ensure that the benefits of sludge are realised while pollution and waste are reduced. High standards of sludge treatment are promoted through the likes of the Biosolids Assurance Scheme (BAS) and the British Standards Institution (BSI).
For business owners and commercial operators, this can include the use of on-site treatment systems such as small sewage treatment plants and the use of sludge pumps, which prevent leakage and ensure a controlled flow.
It Safeguards Health
Untreated sludge released can contain all sorts of bacteria and parasites, which can cause illness in humans and animals. Similarly, it can also contain high levels of nitrogen and phosphorus, which can upset the ecological balance of rivers and watercourses, increasing algae growth, reducing oxygen and harming aquatic life. These elements must be removed before any discharge or land application can occur safely.
Proper Treatment Improves Reuse Processes
Sludge from wastewater treatment is commonly added to fields to help crops grow and put nutrients back into the soil, but if it’s untreated, it can’t just be spread: it has to be injected and worked into the ground. Even then, it takes a lot longer to deliver any benefit to crops. Proper treatment speeds up this process and ensures that sludge can be used effectively, hygienically, and quickly.
Reduces The Environmental Impact
Even when sludge has undergone a treatment process, it can still carry unwanted microplastics, trace chemicals and heavy metals. Without the right sludge pump and separation equipment, microplastics in particular can be difficult to filter out, persisting in the environment for many years.
If treated sludge is spread on land without careful control, these can easily run off into nearby rivers, lakes or coastal waters. Over time, this can affect aquatic ecosystems and wildlife and contribute to the overall problem of water pollution.
Soil and digestate nutrient testing allow inputs to be balanced with crop uptake and need, preventing over-fertilisation that can cause algae blooms from field run-off.
Staying Compliant
The rules are in place for a reason – to protect public health and the environment. Under the Sludge (Use in Agriculture) Regulations 1989, sludge must be stored securely at the site where it will be used, and requirements to test soil and sludge for PTES must be met. This includes both agricultural land (for soil application) and certain non-agricultural areas, where sludge can support ecological improvement or boost the growth of non-food crops.
At Atlantic Pumps, our team has years of expertise in providing sludge pumps in the UK to meet your ethical and legal obligations. We can advise you on the best sludge pumps and treatment options for your specific operations, so you stay compliant, keep the public safe and protect the environment.
If you would like more information about sludge discharge and how we can help ensure that you correctly deal with it, please contact us.
