press release
    14th April 2004

Environmental campaigners Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) have published the results of a comprehensive survey of public attitudes to sewage sludge disposal. The report; 'A Green Blue-Print for Sewage Sludge Disposal' is the result of an 18-month project which involved assessing the sustainability and practicality of possible disposal routes for sewage sludge in South West England, selecting the best options for the area, and then surveying over 800 people across the region to find their preferred option.

View the report here

SAS's campaigns have broadened in recent years, with sewage sludge being a natural progression of the organisations work on sewage disposal. SAS were ideally placed to carry out this project; as a respected environmental organisation in the area, the group was able to carry out an independent, unbiased survey to find what the public really think about sewage sludge disposal.

Few public opinion surveys have been carried out into attitudes to sewage sludge disposal and reuse in recent years. Given industry fears over public perception and the potential loss of the agricultural route, the report should provide comforting reading for sewage sludge stakeholders; the study found that once the issues surrounding sludge are fully explained, most people support its use as fertiliser on agricultural land.

However, the report also highlights the need for ongoing education programmes on the subject; unsurprisingly the survey found that prior to safeguards such as the safe sludge matrix being explained, the majority of people were opposed to the reuse of sewage sludge in agriculture.

The reports author, Matt Davis said: "Many stakeholders wonder what the public think of sewage sludge spreading operations, but so far very few people have actually asked anybody. Our findings show that following initial distrust of sewage sludge recycling practices, once the processes involved are explained most people accept sludge to land as being the best option. However, if we are serious about preserving the land route, more education must take place to spread this message to a wider audience".

View the report here

For more information contact Matt Davis on 01872 553001.

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