Ecotoxicological Requirements and Test Methods for the Evaluation of Wastes

In many countries’ wastes are considered as a source of raw material, and thus, should be re-used as much as possible. In the European Union, 15 different criteria have been defined for this purpose and one of them, called HP14, addresses the question of whether a specific waste could cause ecotoxicological effects. This criterion is usually addressed by chemical characterization of the waste, which focuses on the concentration of (mainly) heavy metals. Ecotoxicological testing is another possible and broader approach using a test battery consisting of three aquatic (i.e., luminescent bacteria, algae, water fleas) and three soil (Arthrobacter bacteria, higher plants, earthworms) tests. Experiences are available for different solid wastes such as incineration ash, waste wood or potentially contaminated soils, and the corresponding eluates. In this contribution, an overview of the current legislative requirements and examples from testing (e.g., waste wood, contaminated soils, incineration ash), as well as a proposal for a testing strategy were presented. In summary, regular ecotoxicological waste testing is recommended in North Africa and other Mediterranean countries.