Human wastes goes green!?

In other parts of the world, biosolids (human waste) from sewage treatment plants are treated and used as sustainable agricultural fertilizer. Research the pros and cons of this method and take a stand whether this can be a realistic alternative to our current agricultural practices. Who are the potential stakeholders in this issue? Are we influenced by the western view of human waste as an unsanitary and disgusting nuisance?

Wow! So many questions to answer... Well, lets start off by trying to understand how biosolids are processed. So basically when we release our wastes, from the heavy dinner that we ate, it goes through many pipes that are connected to a plant. It varies in the type of treatment plant your situated in. Some wastes are directly transported to the plant, while there are others, larger systems that go through pre-treatment processes. Find out which you're in, if you are really curious! But if you are in a larger treatment system, regulations require that industrial facilities pre-treat their wastewater to remove many hazardous contaminants before it is sent to a wastewater treatment plant. Once the waste water reaches the power plant, it is still wastewater but, it is clean from any hazardous materials and chemicals.

If you live in Toronto, according to [toronto.ca], water that drains through our showers, sinks and toilets all go through the same pipes which make up 9,000 kms that transport it to one of the four plants in Toronto. Here, the waste water is cleaned to remove solids, chemicals and any other undesirable materials. Once it is cleaned, the water is sent to Lake Ontario. In the plant, bacteria and other microorganisms break down waste water into simpler forms of organic matter. From here, these materials get transported to many places, and those places are included in the following chart :

Landfill- 41%
Incineration at Highland Creek- 23%
Land Application- 11%
Pelletization- 16%
Alkaline Stablization- 5%
Site Remedation- 4%





Since we have that down, lets get into the Pros and Cons of this process being used as a sustainable agricultural fertilizer.

Pros:
(According to biosolids.com)
- improve crop production
- reduce soil erosion and protect water quality
- enrich forestland
- conserve landfill space
- provide economic incentives.

These are very good benefits for human waste, which isn't that valuable and can be created any time, by anyone. As I mentioned above, biosolids really help crop production by adding important nutrients, boosting soil water-holding capacity and reducing topsoil runoff. In the case of reducing soil erosion, biosolids help combine soil particles. The result is improved soil properties, including texture and water-holding capacity, which enhances root growth and increases the drought resistance of vegetation. The list goes on and on, but just like any idea in our world, it needs to have its consequences and the consequences of human wastes are as follows:

Cons:
(According to http://www.sencer.net/Outreach/pdfs/DCSymposium08/Posters/LUbiosolids.pdf)
- potential health hazard
- effects may be irreversible
- contamination resulting in accumulation of industrial waste
- may contain hazardous chemicals that can be transferable
- decreases property value
- ODOR!

As you know, this is not 100% guaranteed clean fertilizers so, there are potential hazards, contamination and hazardous chemicals that come into play. Also knowing that a product is growing off human wastes, automatically decreases its value. Sadly from the many benefits of using biosolids as fertilizers, there are some consequences if you carry this out.

Take A Stand as to whether this can be a realistic fertilizer. Well after learning so much about this topic, I can conclude that this COULD be a realistic fertilizer because it saves a lot of money and opens up jobs for many people, and also helps crops grown in many ways. Once this is completely tested 100% safe (removal of chemicals and hazardous materials etc.), you should go ahead and start using it as fertilizers. Of course, the next problem would be the odor. The only solution that I can come up to this problem would be to use it in farms that are far away from the city life so that other people aren't affected, and also for the farmers to wear masks to protect them from the bad smells.

Potential Stakeholders in this issue

Before any new idea comes into play in our society, it needs to go through governement officials. So you can say that one potential stakeholder is the governement. The next stakeholder in this idea are the people who do the dirty work- the farmers and gardeners. They have the choice whether or not to use biosolids as agricultural fertilizers. And last but not least, we the people of the Earth, have the final say in whether or not biosolids need to be used as agricultural fertilizers. Therefore there are four potential stakeholders in this issue and they are : the govemernment, the farmers, the gardeners and finally us, the PEOPLE of this Earth.

Are we influenced by the western view of human waste as an unsanitary and disgusting nuisance?

I think that definetly is not the case, especially at such a time, when the world is trying its best to be environmental friendly. In fact, the other parts of the world are going to think that we are trying our best to take care of the Earth and prevent it from any disasters. Althought it may smell a little and may be a LITTLE unsanitary, if the right precautions are taken, this idea should be a really good way to improve the western world's image in the trying to prevent global warming.

Sources:

http://www.toronto.ca/water/biosolids/index.htms/index.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biosolids http://www.sencer.net/Outreach/pdfs/DCSymposium08/Posters/LUbiosolids.pdf

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Christina Chong & Rosemary Ku