The plans for a sewage sludge incineration plant in Straubing have been stopped for the time being. The Regensburg Administrative Court upheld a lawsuit brought by the Federal Nature Conservation Association (BN) Bavaria and ruled in favor of the nature conservation association. As a result, the immission control approval will be revoked, the BN announced in Munich on Wednesday.
The nature conservation association had criticized the fact that the planned facility in Straubing was “completely oversized”, with unfavorable access routes and excessive pollutant emissions, especially mercury. The court’s written justification as to why approval under emissions control law has not been given is still pending.
The BN is pleased with the verdict, says local BN chairman Andreas Molz. Straubing “unfortunately followed what we believe to be incorrect recommendations from the Bavarian Ministry of the Environment.” “We hope that there will now be a rethink in Straubing and other locations towards alternative processes in a smaller plant.”
The BN called on the Bavarian state government to develop concrete plans for the utilization of sewage sludge. According to the BN, central incineration plants must be avoided. Instead, climate- and environmentally friendly processes should be promoted that at the same time recycle more recyclable materials. The BN recently presented a study that presents the problems with mono-incineration plants, such as those planned in Straubing, and shows alternative processes.