What and Where? New CiNURGi Reports Reveal Nutrient Recycling Potential Across the Baltic Sea Region

To help target nutrient recycling efforts in the Baltic Sea Region, CiNURGi researchers have quantified and mapped nitrogen and phosphorus in livestock manure, municipal waste biomasses and food industry side streams. To highlight potential differences between availability of recyclable nutrients and demand for fertilization in agriculture, the geographical distribution of the nutrients and utilized agricultural area was then compared. The comparison helps to identify regions in surplus or deficit of nutrients and supports, together with the collected state-of-the art of nutrient recycling, targeting nutrient recycling activities accordingly.

This information is central to CiNURGI’s efforts to support HELCOM Contracting Parties, i.e. Baltic Sea countries, in fulfilling their commitments regarding nutrient recycling. These include especially Action E32 in the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan (Enhance the use of recycled nutrients in agriculture making use of best available technologies and fertilize according to crop needs) and the overall HELCOM Regional Nutrient Recycling Strategy.

The results reported reveal that promotion of nutrient recycling requires up-to-date information on the recycling potential and its current utilization. Thus, CiNURGi recommends regular monitoring of the status of nutrient recycling both nationally and within the Baltic Sea Region. This entails regular re-evaluation of the nutrient recycling potential and compilation of the current practices to reuse the nutrients. The data collected enables identification of the progress made and the measures still needed to direct the practical activities towards more efficient nutrient use.

To build a good national monitoring process, on which also the transnational monitoring is based on, CiNURGi recommends designating responsible national organizations with sufficient knowhow and resources for the work. As the data sources needed are often scattered and with gaps, CiNURGi also recommends improvement of national data collection, considering already existing nutrient-related data collection for other purposes, such as emission inventories. The reports highlight successes and raise issues in need of improvement, offering a way forward by targeting more measures at them.

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