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| There is a HUGE difference between Chinese night soil, manure, and the complex mixture of human and industrial waste that is generated by modern waste water treatment plants. The list of toxic and harmful contaminants in sludge varies depending where the waste is generated. But here is a typical list of pollutants that have been found in sludge: www.sludgefacts.org/Ref111.pdf
Many expert scientists, including internationally renown soil scientists at the Cornell Waste Management Institute oppose using sludge to grow food crops. Major produce processing companies, like Heinz, DelMonte, Western Growers, do not accept produce grown on land treated with sludge. Those of us who oppose the practice are not tree huggers. The current rules governing this practice do not protect human health, live stock, agriculture, or the environment.
You ask what should be done with biosolids/sewage sludge? Use it as a renewable form of energy. The technologies exist, are being used in Europe, and even in some areas of the US. Converting sludge, which has a high Btu value, to electricity, district heating, and fuel would truly be a "beneficial " use of this waste. | |
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using sewage wastes as fertilizer
