Sewage sludge is an important type of organic wastes among the various categories of solid waste. Organic matter resources in soils are relatively low and frequently require replenishment. Therefore, the use of sewage sludge in agricultural soils is a desirable method of their utilisation. The addition of sewage sludge to soils may be an inexpensive and effective alternative to the methods applied currently (mineral fertilisation, manure etc.). In spite of the undisputable advantages resulting from the application of sewage sludge in agriculture, it also involves some serious threats. Among those we should mention the presence of pathogens, heavy metals, and organic pollutants. In the current scenario of increasing global population, the generation of solid wastes like biosolids is bound to increase remarkably. Improper and unscientific disposal of biosolids results in several environmental issues such as surface and groundwater contamination, degradation of land, and food chain contamination. According to the principles of waste management hierarchy, agricultural recycling of biosolids will be a more environmentally preferred option over the traditional disposal methods. Utilizing the potential of biosolids to recycle valuable plant nutrients and as an effective soil amendment will not only help in sustainable management of this waste but also in minimizing the negatives associated with its traditional disposal. Every country must obey their regulations and legislations for managing their sewage sludge as a basic solution for use of sewage sludge in agricultural soil.

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The methodology for biodiagnostics of the ecological state of soils and other environmental objects involves the use of two approaches: bioindicative observations in situand biotesting of samples, carried out according to standard methods in controlled laboratory conditions ex situ. An integrated assessment of soils on an interdisciplinary basis in accordance with the international standard ISO19204-2017 makes it possible to diagnose of soils “health” based on biotic parameters in the course of natural environmental observations, ecotoxicity indicators, which are supple-mented by the results of quantitative chemical analysis (TRIAD methodology). For soils, indicators of the state of higher plants and microbial communities, especially in agroecosystems, are of paramount importance. The article analyzes the advantages and limitations of well-known methods of phytoindication, laboratory phytotesting, soil respiration, structural and functional indicators of microbiota diversity and bacterial biosensors. The responses of living systems to the same pollutant content largely depend on the carbon content of organic matter. The existing regulatory framework for the ecological assessment of the biological state of soil ecosystems practically does not take into account this, as well as the level of mineralization and pH of the analyzed objects. For an adequate assessment of the ecological quality of soils, it is proposed to improve the methods of measuring toxicity by more targeted recommendations for application (for example, for certain gradations of humus content, mineralization, pH).