On October 26, 2021, the modification of Supreme Decree No. 3/2012 of the Ministry of the Environment (D.S. No. 3/2012) was published, which approves the regulations for the management of sludge from effluent treatment plants of the fruit and vegetable processing industry.

The main modification consists of eliminating the requirement of sludge stabilization (Article 4 of D.S. N°3/2012), i.e. to reduce volatile solids by at least 38% and to have a moisture content of no more than 70%; or to comply with a requirement listed in Article 6 of Supreme Decree N°4/2009 of the Ministry General Secretariat of the Presidency, regulation for the management of sludge generated in sewage treatment plants.

This is due to the fact that there was no technical justification for requiring the same terms as for sludge generated in sewage treatment plants, which ultimately discouraged the reuse of such material.

Should you require additional information on this matter, please contact: Martin Esser, messer@jdf.cl