Recital 42

(42)The evaluation concluded that sludge management could be improved to better align it with the principles of the circular economy and of the waste hierarchy as defined in Article 4 of Directive 2008/98/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council ²⁵ . The actions to better monitor and reduce pollution at source from non-domestic discharges will contribute to improving the quality of the sludge produced and ensure its safe use in agriculture. In order to ensure the proper and safe recovery of nutrients, including the critical substance phosphorus, from sludge, a minimum combined reuse and recycling rate should be set at Union level. Member States should be able to choose whether to reuse or recycle, or both, urban wastewater or sludge, or both, in order to recover phosphorus. The combined minimum reuse and recycling rate should take into account the phosphorus content of sludge, which can vary from one area to another. It should also take into account the level of saturation of each national market, for example the availability of other sources of phosphorus from organic sources, for instance from livestock farming, and the possibilities of its absorption in agriculture. Member States should be encouraged to monitor micropollutants in sludge, particularly where there is a risk of accumulation of micropollutants in sludge, and when it is reused in agriculture in order to increase knowledge about its presence and to protect the environment and human health. The proper and safe recovery of nutrients and their reuse in agriculture should be encouraged in order to support the resilience and sustainability of the agricultural sector and contribute to the strategic autonomy of the Union fertiliser industry. In that context, Member States should, while taking into account national and local valorisation options, take measures to encourage the production and purchasing of recovered nutrients from urban wastewater and sludge. When reusing sludge in agriculture particular attention should be paid to microplastics. Microplastics should therefore be systematically monitored when sludge is reused in agriculture. This information is indispensable for the safe management of sludge in agriculture and any possible review of relevant Union policy.