Re: Composting WWTPs and composting (Was Re: [compost_tea] Re: MICROBIOLOGY TESTING of COMPOST TEAS

From: Ted Peterson <ted.peterson_at_tcsn.net>
Date: Mon, 27 Dec 2004 10:45:25 -0800

----- Original Message -----
  From: L Blair
  To: compost_tea_at_yahoogroups.com
  Sent: Sunday, December 26, 2004 1:47 PM
  Subject: Re: Composting WWTPs and composting (Was Re: [compost_tea] Re: M=
ICROBIOLOGY TESTING of COMPOST TEAS


  If sewage sludge was good for farming, farmers would be queuing up,
  demanding it.
  But as a toxic waste, it has to be "sold" to the gullible.

  Lynton


Lynton:

Please get some education on the subject before you write. Sludge was used=
 by farmers for years and in much of the world still is used. In Europe, b=
iosolids are a mainstay of agriculture. Traditionally, most of the problem=
s with biosolids/sludge was in controlling pathogens. Pathogens can be con=
trolled quite successfully with current technology and as shaky as EPA stan=
dards seem to be, we have had very few e coli outbreaks due to spoorization=
 or the use of biosolids. By the way, there are commercial products on the=
 market that contain a percentage of human waste. If you buy soil amendmen=
ts, look to see how much or if they contain human waste products.

Since industrialization of waste treatement and the increase of population =
density, the greater problem with human waste products is heavy metals. Th=
e problem with heavy metals is that they don't necessarily break down in so=
il and if the soil pH is off, can be absorbed by certain plants. As someon=
e once said: "Sludge is perfectly safe. I just wouldn't grow my carrots in=
 it."

Composted biosolids are a completely different thing because green waste is=
 used to dilute the heavy metals so that the concentrations remain below th=
e minimum acceptable risk point after several repeated applications. Howev=
er, accidents do happen and people make mistakes. Such a thing happened in=
 Germany where people became poisoned by over-application of uncomposted sl=
udge on food crops. But the magical thing is that people learned and there=
 hasn't been a subsequent problem since then.

Now, where would I recommend using composted sludge? Sod farms, lawns, orna=
mental plants, grasses, orchards, vinyards and a whole group of food plants=
 where the food is not grown in the material. There are people who think t=
hat the only proper disposal of sludge is the land fill. They may have a po=
int if we don't get a handle on people using sewers as dispose-alls. If we=
 can get people to be conscious about what goes into a sewer pipe, we could=
 process an extremely high grade of soil amendment that would be safe on al=
l accounts.

By the way, I have completed one project and am involved with others that c=
ompost sludge. People have already contacted the WWTPs where this is happe=
ning and said they will take every drop made. So, at least where I am work=
ing, farmers are lining up for the stuff. No selling.

Ted
SOE









Received on Mon Dec 27 2004 - 15:05:25 EST

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