Spreading of sewage sludge to land - impacts on human health and the environment: community concerns

Stakeholder engagement

For the purpose of modelling we have to assume compliance with legal requirements as this provides a solid basis for subsequent understanding of the impacts of non-compliance and /or non-adherence to good practice. However, we recognise that it is important to set our findings within a real-world context as there may be deficiencies in current systems that arise from poor practice or from constraints under which agencies and contractors operate. For the regulatory framework under which sewage sludge is spread to land in Scotland to both respond to advances in scientific knowledge and take account of the lived experience of Scottish communities we need to understand community perspectives and experiences.

It is in light of community-based concerns that we invited participants to a workshop in an area where there is a sewage treatment plant and sewage sludge is regularly spread in the locality.

The workshop was designed to inform participants of the project and the work carried out to date, answer questions about the project and draw out and record participants concerns and issues regarding the application of sewage sludge to land in their locality.

5 project team members were present to lead the workshop and share information: Rupert Hough, Dominic Duckett and Carol Kyle, researchers from the James Hutton Institute, David Tompkins, an environmental consultant from Aquaenviro (https://www.aquaenviro.co.uk) and John Williams an environmental consultant from RSK ADAS (http://www.adas.uk)