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livingontheland - Re: [Livingontheland] Wasted fertilizer

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  • From: Dieter Brand <diebrand@yahoo.com>
  • To: Don Bowen <don.bowen@earthlink.net>, Healthy soil and sustainable growing <livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Livingontheland] Wasted fertilizer
  • Date: Sat, 31 May 2008 14:33:35 -0700 (PDT)

There is some work done on using city sludge as fertilizer.  Look for Caspari et al.,
he compressed sludge into solid blocks and then let fungi do the sterilisation. 
I think, however, that his work dates back about 50 years.  In the meantime, we
have managed to release about 100,000 chemical compounds into the environment,
some of them highly toxic.  Just think about all the medication people take. 
 
I have been using humanure for the last 8 years with good success, but I know what
went into it.  I wouldn't want to use other people's sewage, no way!  Incidentally, I
use dried leaves instead of sawdust because we have plenty of dried leaves from
the wooded part of our land.  The advantage of dried leaves is that the crumbly
structure of the leaves lets in more air than would be the case with sawdust. 
After the initial composting, I mix in some clay.
 
Dieter
 
Don Bowen <don.bowen@earthlink.net> wrote:
Now that I am away from the farm I have time to contemplate some of the things we talked about.  Grant is very sharp and very knowledgeable so any conversation with him will generate many ideas that need to be followed up on.
 
One was using municipal sewage as fertilizer.  Millions of pounds of good nitrogen and other elements are wasted each year that could go to raising food or at the least improving soils.  Contamination is the big problem as people use all sorts of cleaners and dump many other things into the waste stream that should not be there.  This resource could be put to better use if we would realize just how valuable a resource out waste stream contains.
 
The place where I will be in the Ozarks uses sawdust toilets and composts the results.  One more way to close the loop.
 
 
Don Bowen      KI6DIU
http://www.braingarage.com/Dons/Travels/journal/Journal.html
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