So what happens with our wastes once we flush the toilet? This is something that almost no one wants to even think about, for obvious reasons. Every year human biosolids generate a huge amount of waste. What can we do with the waste? Of course we could just dump it in a landfill right? There can't be any use for our waste can there?
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Well surprisingly there can be. After the water leaves our toilets, it goes through the sewage drain and eventually gets treated and cleaned. The water then gets reused, but what of all the solids that are in the water? Well some smart people once upon a time ago discovered that feces are a good source of nutrients for plants. That's right, our biological waste is used as fertilizer for plants, specifically the ones that we eat. Well it isn't that bad. The government has imposed strict rules involving fruits and vegetables being treated with biosolids. Fruits and vegetables can only be harvested 15 months after being treated with biosolids, and animals have to wait at least 5 months before they can graze on an area treated with biosolids. The government is supportive of using biosolids as it greatly decreases the amount of waste in landfills and incinerators. It is also beneficiary for the farmers, who instead of paying huge amounts of money for synthetic fertilizers can get biosolids for almost nothing.
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The main cons of this practice are many, but the government describes them as "negligible". They say we shouldn't worry about the potential health hazard, or the unknown composition of these solids, or the possibility of soil contamination, or the possibility of crop infection. There are many reasons to raise an eyebrow over biosolid uses, but I really believe that if we do find a problem with it, then it will already be too late to take action as we have been using this method for a long time. The government should definitely put more money into researching this method, just to reassure people that this method of fertilizing won't jeopardize our health!
Who supports the use of biosolids? Many organizations and groups, most of them farmers who might just want to save some money.
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Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs
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Ontario Ministry of the Environment
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Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care
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Agricultural Groups Concerned about Resources and the Environment
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American Water Canada Corporation
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Association of Local Public Health Agencies
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Ontario Association of Sewage Industry Services
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Ontario Clean Water Agency
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Ontario Federation of Agriculture
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Ontario Forest Industries Association
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Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association
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Rural Ontario Municipal Association
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University of Guelph
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Water Environment Association of Ontario
Many of these agencies are provincial agencies. This obviously shows that the province is showing interest in expanding this project. Maybe we should go along with it. If the government wants to pay for something why not take it right? There are many unanswered questions about the use of biosolids, which hopefully one day the public will be better informed about, but as for now since there haven't been any identified health risks I believe using biosolids might be a good way to improve the farming industry. It seems that we are stuck in the mind set of human waste being unsanitary and disgusting-which is true in most cases- but I think that it's time to turn things around and go in a new direction using human biosolids!
Sources:
http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/nm/nasm/sewbiobroch.htm
http://www.mindfully.org/Pesticide/Sewage-Sludge-Pros-Cons.htm
http://www.sencer.net/Outreach/pdfs/DCSymposium08/Posters/LUbiosolids.pdf
Blogs commented on:
http://philipsbiologyblog.blogspot.com/
http://melissasbioblog.blogspot.com/
