Brussels – The wastewater treatment sector in Europe is at a turning point. The recent adoption of Directive (EU) 2024/3019, which revises the legislation on urban wastewater treatment, imposes a radical paradigm shift on large metropolitan areas: sewage sludge is no longer just waste, but a strategic resource.
The key measure accelerating the transition is set for December 31, 2028. By this date, Member States must implement Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), obliging manufacturers of pharmaceuticals and cosmetics to cover 80% of the costs for quaternary treatment (fourth phase). The goal is to purify water from micropollutants before they end up in the sludge, making the residual material significantly cleaner.
This superior quality of sludge clears the way for advanced recovery systems. These technologies are crucial for two objectives of the Directive:
Recovery of Raw Materials: extracting vital nutrients such as phosphorus and nitrogen for the production of sustainable fertilizers, reducing dependence on external sources.
Energy Neutrality: exploiting the organic component of sludge for biogas production, with the goal of making treatment plants energy neutral by 2040.
Essentially, 2028 represents a point of no return: EPR ensures cleaner sludge, while the push for recovery mandates the adoption of advanced industrial processes that transform disposal costs into circular economy opportunities.