News

About a quarter of the volume of wastewater entering sewage plants for treatment would not have to be treated. This is extraneous water that infiltrates decrepit sewers and blends with “genuine” wastewater. In a project, a group of experts explored how this affects water quality and how sewer rehabilitation can remedy the problem.

A delegation of directors from Environmental Protection Agencies across Europe (EPA Network) met with the First Vice-President of the European Commission Frans Timmermans to discuss a paper with recommendations compiled by the group.

The waste water charge could be a viable way to help finance the upgrading of large waste water treatment plants to include a 'fourth treatment stage". A new study has determined that these facilities can reduce micropollutants – pharmaceuticals, for example – which are present in waterbodies.

The European Environment Agency has released its report ‘The European environment – state and outlook 2015'. According to the document, Europeans enjoy cleaner air and water today, less waste is sent to landfill and more resources are recycled.

What can be done with the sewage sludge which is generated during waste water treatment? How can valuable materials be recovered and pollutants prevented from entering the environment? The German Federal Environment Ministry (BMUB) invited a Polish delegation on a study tour to promote exchange between the two countries. The group visited exemplary sewage sludge utilisation plants in Germany.

Pedelecs are all the rage. There are now 1.6 million e-bikes on Germany's roads. A new background paper by UBA discusses the environmental impact of pedelecs. This knowledge is now available to an international audience in an English language translation of the paper.

Wood-fired heating systems emit more particulate matter locally than road traffic

A panel discussion on environmental risks and an effective environmental risk assessment of veterinary medicines will be held in Brussels, Belgium on 04 March 2015.

How much water is used in Germany and for what purposes? What are the pressures on our waters? What is being done about it? Find out the answers to these and many other questions in our two-part Water Resource Management in Germany publication.

This is the conclusion of the European Environment Agency in its annual report on the pressures of the transport sector on the environment.