Wastewater Sludge Management in the Russian Federation: the Current Status and Perspectives

Above 80 million m3 of sludge are annually generated in the Russian Federation from a very huge domestic sewerage system and numerous municipal wastewater treatment plants. This paper discusses the status of sludge management in the country having more than one century experience in this field. Since Russia goes through a complicated period of transforming its economy with a focus on the expansion of private sector activity, this also includes reforms in the field of municipal waste water treatment and disposal. Current management practices are reviewed and the problems associated with them are evaluated including technological aspects as well as institutional issues, such as enforcement of legislation and problems with utilization/disposal. Perspectives for more sustainable sludge management are outlined and briefly discussed.