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market-farming - Re: [Market-farming] compost my septic sludge?

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  • From: Owsley lucy <boulderbelt AT embarqmail.com>
  • To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] compost my septic sludge?
  • Date: Fri, 18 Jun 2010 13:18:31 -0400

I believe using night soil on food that will be sold is a big no no in all 50 states. If you are certified organic this will pretty much decertify you for 3 years. i remember when I was in my first year or two of market farming and had some stuff planted over the septic tank and leech field. the organic inspector about had a fit and told us if the county health people found out they would shut our operation down. fortunately for us the crops over the septic tank were doing badly and we never planted in that area again.

As for chemicals unless you make all your own soap, take no pharmaceuticals and use zero chemicals in any aspect in your life that would go down any of your drains you likely will have heavy metals in the sludge.


On Jun 18, 2010, at 1:14 PM, Richard Robinson wrote:


On Fri, 18 Jun 2010 11:29:06 -0500, Nan Hildreth wrote:
Is that only if folks dumped junk into the toilets?


I would guess that if you are composting only your own waste, you have little to fear from metal buildup, since it's all been through you to start with (and it didn't kill you then), and you will be spreading it back out over a wide area when you are done composting it. Unkilled pathogenic bacteria is the real worry, I'd say (plus odor). If you aren't concerned about organic certification, and you aren't draining down into a stream, and if you spread it and buried it and waited a long time before harvesting from it, it would probably be just fine. And I say that with absolutely no training in public health or wastewater treatment...

--
Richard Robinson
www.nasw.org/users/rrobinson/
Hopestill Farm
www.hopestill.com






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