In the CanadaGAP Food Safety manuals, ‘pulp sludge’ and ‘soil amendments’ are defined as the following:
Pulp sludge: A solid residue that remains after wastewater is treated at pulp and paper mills. It is composed of input materials for making paper, which are primarily wood fibre, lime, clays, as well as excess organisms produced as part of the wastewater treatment process.
Soil amendments: Ashes, gypsum and liming materials added to the soil for the purpose of improving the chemical properties (e.g., pH) of the soil. If liming materials are derived from biosolids, see requirements for sewage sludge/biosolids. If liming materials are derived from pulp and paper waste, refer to the requirements for the application of pulp sludge.
The requirements for pulp sludge and soil amendments are found in Section 3.
Section 3.1 states: The person responsible purchases or selects:…
Pulp sludge that meets prevailing legislation (e.g., provincial regulations)
Soil amendments that meet prevailing legislation (e.g., provincial regulations)
Federally, the Fertilizers Act and regulations requires that all regulated fertilizer and supplement products imported into or sold in Canada must be safe for humans, plants, animals, and the environment. If any pulp sludge or soil amendments are being sold as a fertilizer it would be covered federally under the Fertilizers Act.
Provincial regulations/requirements vary by location. In some cases, provinces do not have specific regulations (these types of materials might not be used, or they might not have specific regulations/requirements). For some provinces only some of these types of products have additional requirements.
The following table outlines some provinces where there are requirements in place:
| Province | Managed by | Link/resource and other information |
| British Columbia | Environmental Management Act and Public Health Act |
Code of practice for soil amendments includes both pulp sludge and soil amendments. https://www.bclaws.gov.bc.ca/civix/document/id/complete/statreg/210_2007 |
| Alberta | Alberta Environmental Protection |
Standards and guidelines for the land application of mechanical pulp mill sludge to agricultural land https://open.alberta.ca/publications/0778504263 (last updated Feb 1999) Standards and guidelines for the use of wood ash as a liming material for agricultural soils https://open.alberta.ca/publications/0778522814 (last updated July 2002) |
| Ontario | Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) |
Pulp and paper biosolids are considered “Non-Agricultural Source Materials (NASM)” |
| Quebec | Ministère de l’Environnement, de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques, de la Faune et des Parcs |
The use of some of these materials are covered under ‘Fertilizing Residuals’ according to the guidance here: https://www.environnement.gouv.qc.ca/matieres/mat_res-en/fertilisantes/index.htm |
| New Brunswick | The Department of Environment and Local Government | The use of some products is covered under the “Guidelines For The Beneficial Use of Industrial By-Products as Soil Amendments”. https://www2.gnb.ca/content/dam/gnb/Departments/env/pdf/LandWaste-TerreDechets/GuidelinesForSoilAmendments.pdf |
| Newfoundland and Labrador |
Department of Environment and Climate Change and Department of Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture |
The use of pulp sludge and wood ash on agricultural lands would need Department of Environment and Climate Change approval in consultation with the Department of Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture’s Soil Fertility Specialist. Limestone application to agriculture land has been promoted by the Department of Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture as part of the Limestone Program (soils are very acidic by nature and liming soils is crucial to increase crop productivity and fertilizer efficiency). https://www.gov.nl.ca/ffa/programs-and-funding/programs/limestone/ |