Sludge Happens

Mother Jones by Josh Harkinson | Apr. 22, 2009 (Special Report)

In theory, recycling poop is the perfect solution to the one truly unavoidable byproduct of human civilization. Turning sewage into a potent, inexpensive fertilizer means cleaner rivers and oceans. But as sludge has spread across the country, so have concerns that it may cause as many environmental problems as it solves. In communities where sludge has been used, residents have reported ailments ranging from migraines to pneumonia to mysterious deaths. In ... Full Story »

Posted by Dwight Rousu

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4.6

by Dwight Rousu - Apr. 22, 2009

An excellent investigative report into an under-investigated subject of high importance. We are fouling our own nest. Not to be poo-pooed.

I seem to recall Seattle was spreading this stuff in the forests of the watershed for the city.

Food companies such as Del Monte and H.J. Heinz won’t accept produce grown on sludge-treated land. The Netherlands and Switzerland effectively ban the use of sludge ... More »

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4.4

by Tanya J. Maurer - Apr. 22, 2009

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4.1

by William Hughes-Games - Apr. 28, 2009

Could have gone further into how we are at present extracting nutrients from our land and flushing them down our streams.

The only surprise is that it has taken so long for us to wake up. The Chinese have been recycling virtually all their excreted nutrients for 5000 years. That is why their soil is still fertile. Get them all into flush toilets and sewage treatment plants and China will wither on the vine. America is still mining the accumulated nutrients of ages. Many metres of deep rich prarie soil has been lost and eventually this resource will run out.

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