The Australian and New Zealand Biosolids partnership: Creating new frameworks for biosolids management

The Australian and New Zealand Biosolids Partnership (ANZBP) is a collective of 49 members across both countries that have come together to provide responsible, credible data about biosolids and to develop communication tools to explain to the community generally the value of biosolids and the measures in place to ensure their safe use. Members also exchange data and ideas about improvements and opportunities in biosolids management and collectively problem-solve.

The Partnership has initiated a range of research projects directed to achievement of its objectives. This paper will report on two of these: A Review of Biosolids Guidelines in Australia and New Zealand and a Community Attitudinal Survey. Combined, these initiatives will work towards rationalisation of biosolids guidelines to reduce inconsistency, increase community confidence in the efficacy of guidelines and promote outcomes-based regulation, over processed based approaches. The project outcomes will also improve responsiveness to community concerns and needs for information, including an understanding of the level of anxiety the community has about biosolids use, the issues causing the greatest anxiety and the steps that might be taken to ameliorate that anxiety; and in New Zealand assist an enhanced understanding of the impacts for biosolids use of Tangata Whenua views and attitudes.