Beneficial use of pulp and paper residues for soil amendment in the province of Quebec - Technical and scientific information is shared between interested parties

Over three years, beneficial use of pulp and paper sludges increased from 3 .9% to more than 20% of the total amount generated in the province of Quebe c. In early 1994, landfilling (41.1%) and burning (56.2%) were the most com mon disposal methods for all residues. A government/industry working group set environmental quality criteria and good management practices to facilit ate the beneficial use of pulp and paper residues as soil amendments. By 19 97, this joint effort had resulted in the characterization of sludges from 45 mills, modeling and monitoring, and pilot and full-scale trials. In the first season experimenting with the provisional criteria and good managemen t practices, more than 575 000 wet metric tons of residues were beneficiall y used as soil amendments.