There is also a call for on-going reductions in emissions of hazardous substances leading to a cessation within 25 years. MAFF and, in coastal waters, the EA in England and Wales, and SEPA in Scotland, carry out monitoring of marine environmental media and foodstuffs around nuclear licensed sites that dis-charge radioactive waste into the sea. This is to ensure that any doses to the public from occupancy of coastal areas and consumption of local marine food-stuffs are well below any internationally agreed acceptable limits, and that such discharges pose no risk to the environment. Due to the processing of a backlog of stored liquid waste since 1994, levels of Technetium-99 have increased. However, the maximum radiation dose to members of the public in the UK from Sellafield discharges is well within national and international limits.
Sewage sludge is the residue left after treatment at a sewage works.
It can be used as fertiliser and is often spread on suitable farmland. However, where suitable land is limited, particularly in the vicinity of large coastal conurbations, disposal at sea has in the past been adopted. The Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive requires that the dumping of sewage sludge at sea should cease by the end of 1998 and sludge be re-used whenever appropriate. Alternative disposal routes include incineration, an increase in beneficial recycling to land, use as a composting agent, and energy generation. The Government is encouraging the development of beneficial uses wherever possible.