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  • From: "Don Bowen" <don.bowen AT earthlink.net>
  • To: <homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Homestead] Gene Logsdon on Farm Waste
  • Date: Sun, 20 Jul 2008 07:28:27 -0500

Alas, Gene is still in the throes of septic tanks and leach fields. I
must write him or call him and burn his ears. The piece is an ode to
manure and he either does not know or will not accept that human
manure is a valuable resource, not to be wasted in a septic system.
What's the world coming to when you can't rely on Gene Logsdon for
common sense advice?

The Organic farmer I worked with this last winter and spring talked about all the wasted fertilizer that was pumped through sewage treatment facilities. This is a huge resource going to waste because people don't want to even think of it (that is until a tourist beach is red flagged) and too many nasty chemicals are disposed through the sewers. Recent tests of municipal sewage have shown not only traces of industrial chemicals, prescription drugs, but also traces of controlled substances. The authors of this last study have not been able to find a city that will allow them to do a more definitive study, cities are afraid of the negative publicity if it came out they were the Cocaine capital of the country.

One of the books I read on urine or humanure talked about urban nitrogen collection. It advocated a collection tank and a regularly scheduled pump out. The sewage would then be turned into a high quality nitrogen rich fertilizer. We do waste millions of tons of metals and fertilizers every year.

Don Bowen KI6DIU
http://www.braingarage.com/Dons/Travels/journal/Journal.html




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