[Community_garden] biosolids and municipal composts; credibility killer
Mike McGrath
MikeMcG at PTD.net
Tue Mar 18 17:07:47 EDT 2008
Please don't tell me that Milorganite is Class A; it isn't even composted!
---McG
----- Original Message -----
From: "Kristen McIvor" <kristenmcivor at mac.com>
To: "Mike McGrath" <MikeMcG at PTD.net>
Cc: <community_garden at list.communitygarden.org>
Sent: Tuesday, March 18, 2008 4:43 PM
Subject: Re: biosolids and municipal composts; credibility killer
> The application of Class B biosolids is a contentious issue in many
> parts of the country. I think the strong feelings that have surfaced
> on this listserv show that many people are uncomfortable with the
> idea, and when municipalities attempt to recycle it in rural
> communities, the conversations there are often heated. In the
> Northwest, where I live, the situation is much more friendly.
> Whether that has to do with better products or a better effort to
> educate the public and build grassroots support, I don't know.
> Around 60% of the nation's biosolids are land-applied to farmland,
> the rest is either land-filled or incinerated, or added to compost
> for home use (this is a relatively small percentage).
>
> I use biosolids, and I don't claim to be an organic gardener. But I
> don't think the issue is black-and-white either, and I can see many
> situations that would fall somewhere in the grey area.
>
> And I don't think that biosolids should be included in the National
> Standards. If there were more and more products like TAGRO on the
> market, it may be a conversation worth having, but as of now, Class A
> "Exceptional quality" biosolids are the exception, not the rule.
>
> While the type of treatment plant that Tacoma uses is relatively
> unique, there are many ways to achieve Class A status. Milorganite,
> from Milwaukee, uses a drying process. I encourage everyone to
> investigate the situation in your own city, but I would still
> recommend that people at least take a look at biosoilds that have
> been rated Class A.
>
> Kristen
> On Mar 18, 2008, at 1:18pm, Mike McGrath wrote:
>
>> " I have been told by some colleagues in the DC area that public
>> opinion on the East Coast is so negative towards biosolids, that
>> they attend community meetings with armed guards!"
>> If you even close to believe that, I have to wonder about
>> the believability of the rest of your text.
>>
>> Two things:
>> People deciding on their own what's organic and what isn't
>> (ie--"I use railroad ties and Round-Up in MY organic garden") is
>> why I've actually come to like the National Standards. You use bio-
>> solids, you're not an organic gardener.
>> And if Tacoma's waste IS the exception, its more important than
>> ever to warn people in other cities to think many times before
>> bringing any of this stuff into communal gardens.
>> ---McG
>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Kristen McIvor"
>> <kristenmcivor at mac.com>
>> To: "Mike McGrath" <MikeMcG at PTD.net>
>> Sent: Tuesday, March 18, 2008 3:34 PM
>> Subject: Re: [Community_garden] biosolids and municipal composts
>>
>>
>>> Hi Mike,
>>>
>>> No, biosolids as a category are excluded from the National Organic
>>> Standards Act. I wasn't involved in that process, so I am unsure
>>> whether there was any effort made to distinguish Class A from
>>> Class B. My guess is there was not. I like to think of it as
>>> the "spirit of organic" without actually being certified. It
>>> reduces the need for vast amounts of petroleum-based fertilizers
>>> in non-organic farms (much of Washington's wheat is fertilized
>>> with Class B biosolids from King County - Seattle) As the price
>>> of petroluem goes up and up, it may be something that gets looked
>>> at in a new light.
>>>
>>> TAGRO is unique to Tacoma, in fact, every municipality has to
>>> make its own decisions about how to deal with the biosolids.
>>> Tacoma made a good decision 20 years ago and invested in the
>>> construction of a progressive, fairly cutting-edge treatment
>>> plant with dual digesters - one anaerobic and one aerobic - to my
>>> knowledge the only one of its kind in the country. Why haven't
>>> more cities invested in this? I think mainly a fear of public
>>> opinion, and the fact that many environmentalists have given up
>>> on sewage treatment as a "green" activity. Most people stop
>>> thinking once they flush, and are not involved in the political
>>> process when it comes time for cities to invest in new treatment
>>> plants and plant upgrades. I myself am fairly new to this, so I
>>> count myself in the group of people that didn't think to ask the
>>> questions for years.
>>>
>>> So I'm unsure about the scene for biosolids in your area, but I'm
>>> thrilled that the conversation has gotten started. I have been
>>> told by some colleagues in the DC area that public opinion on the
>>> East Coast is so negative towards biosolids, that they attend
>>> community meetings with armed guards! The picture is so
>>> different out here. Not that there is any shortage of guns in
>>> Tacoma, but you're more likely to have one pulled on you if you
>>> run out of TAGRO, that if you try to apply it to farmland!
>>>
>>> If you're ever out West, give us a holler, we'd be happy to show
>>> you what it's all about.
>>>
>>> Kristen
>>> On Mar 18, 2008, at 11:34am, Mike McGrath wrote:
>>>
>>>> Kris: I'm willing to believe this is a decent (or better) product.
>>>> But:
>>>> Could a certified organic grower use it?
>>>> And is it fairly unique to Tacoma?
>>>> ---McG
>>>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Kristen McIvor"
>>>> <kristenmcivor at mac.com>
>>>> To: <community_garden at list.communitygarden.org>
>>>> Sent: Tuesday, March 18, 2008 2:17 PM
>>>> Subject: Re: [Community_garden] biosolids and municipal composts
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> Again, thanks to all for contributing to the conversation
>>>>> biosolids.
>>>>>
>>>>> First, a disclaimer - I am an organic food person - spending more
>>>>> than I probably should to support organic whenever possible. I was
>>>>> also a skeptic when I found out about TAGRO, it took many months
>>>>> and
>>>>> many conversations, with both the scientists and those involved in
>>>>> creating it, before I ordered 6 yards of it for my own home.
>>>>>
>>>>> After using it for a couple years now, I must say, I have never
>>>>> before seen soil so healthy, and certainly in my gardening life,
>>>>> never had such big, healthy plants, as I do with TAGRO. While I am
>>>>> still a scientist and an organic food person, nothing convinced
>>>>> me of
>>>>> it's value quite like using it myself.
>>>>>
>>>>> I can't speak to the biosolids program in your town, but TAGRO has
>>>>> been managed from the beginning by mostly the same group of people.
>>>>> They happen to be passionate gardeners, who every year plant a
>>>>> large
>>>>> demonstration garden at the treatment plant and donate vast amounts
>>>>> of produce to food banks and other meal sites throughout the
>>>>> season.
>>>>> They have worked hard to reduce odor, take pride in the product
>>>>> they
>>>>> hand out to people, and have over the years built up a large,
>>>>> passionate, grassroots following who get very upset if demand
>>>>> outpaces supply and it becomes unavailable.
>>>>>
>>>>> In the early days, it was given out to whomever wanted to come pick
>>>>> it up, and sprayed on agricultural land. It is still sprayed in
>>>>> liquid form, but demand is so high that not all who want it can get
>>>>> it. These are farmers in the area who have been using it for
>>>>> decades and still line up to have some applied to their property.
>>>>> The dewatered form was initially given out for free to those who
>>>>> wanted it, but over the years, demand rose enough that they
>>>>> began to
>>>>> charge for it, and now have a fleet of 5 delivery trucks that stay
>>>>> busy throughout the growing season, delivering it to people for a
>>>>> price. It is still available for free to those who come shovel it
>>>>> themselves, and I have seen people form lines to shovel their
>>>>> pickup
>>>>> trucks full - and then come back and do it again.
>>>>>
>>>>> As someone who works to promote urban agriculture, and the idea of
>>>>> producing as much food as possible in urban areas, TAGRO is a
>>>>> wonderful resource. Low-income gardeners can get it for free, and
>>>>> grow a heck of a lot of food in a very small space, and beginning
>>>>> gardeners can have a lot of success their first year. In
>>>>> Tacoma, the
>>>>> urban gardening movement is filled with a lot of young,
>>>>> enthusiastic
>>>>> foodies who have never gardened before. TAGRO saves them a lot of
>>>>> struggle as they learn to manage soil and plants and grow food in
>>>>> cities.
>>>>>
>>>>> Washington State University - Extension runs a program that
>>>>> promotes
>>>>> nutrition in elementary schools through gardens....all 20
>>>>> schools in
>>>>> the Pierce County program applied TAGRO to their gardens this year,
>>>>> to the smiles and applause of administrators and educators.
>>>>>
>>>>> The idea of municipal biosolids can offend the organic
>>>>> sensibilities
>>>>> of some, and yes, we live in a dirty world. But permaculture (and
>>>>> ecology) tells us to turn waste products into resources. They have
>>>>> been doing it in Tacoma for years, and as our planet gets
>>>>> smaller and
>>>>> smaller, I hope more cities around the country (and world) catch
>>>>> on.
>>>>>
>>>>> Kristen
>>>>> On Mar 18, 2008, at 9:01am, community_garden-
>>>>> request at list.communitygarden.org wrote:
>>>>>
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>>>>>> When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more
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>>>>>> than "Re: Contents of Community_garden digest..."
>>>>>> Today's Topics:
>>>>>>
>>>>>> 1. Biosolids and municipal composts (Don Boekelheide)
>>>>>> 2. Re: Sandbag that garden! - And retreads... (Mike McGrath)
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I'm heartened by the discussion, which seems very well informed.
>>>>>> Before saying much, I want to take a second look at the posts. But
>>>>>> it is a fundamental question all of us in urban agriculture
>>>>>> need to
>>>>>> deal with.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Two quick points. I've worked closely with County Solid Waste here
>>>>>> for more than a decade, helping to set up a home composting
>>>>>> training program and a Master Composter program. It's been very
>>>>>> interesting. In a way, I'm reminded of the certified organic
>>>>>> movement that has given us "USDA organic" and corporate organic
>>>>>> farming, with all the pros and cons. Our culture is highly
>>>>>> influenced by 'the market' and success is determined by viability
>>>>>> in the marketplace. In short, we instinctively "push" and "market"
>>>>>> our product (or program), even public employees in a waste
>>>>>> disposal
>>>>>> department. This can make objective discussion of realities and
>>>>>> costs/benefits highly charged and sometimes misleading.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Second, practically speaking, composting is still more art than
>>>>>> science, because of the enormous complexity of the materials,
>>>>>> processes and organisms involved; the potential for unanticipated
>>>>>> contaminants to enter the system; and uncontrollable variations in
>>>>>> feed stock, weather, water, human behavior etc.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Practical example: At a school project I once worked on, we got a
>>>>>> big load of biosolid-based compost that stunk to high heaven. You
>>>>>> _know_ what it smelled like. When parents got wind of it, the
>>>>>> howls
>>>>>> of protest probably reached the Pacific. The purchasing agent at
>>>>>> the school had thought 'compost is compost' and purchased
>>>>>> accordingly. Gardeners live in the real world - listen to the
>>>>>> engineers and give their arguments and evidence a fair hearing,
>>>>>> but always use your nose.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I note Tacoma with interest, a center of problems with clopyralid
>>>>>> contamination in yard waste compost, a pesticide that did not
>>>>>> break
>>>>>> down even with a well-run composting operation. I wonder if that
>>>>>> legacy is partly behind solid waste officials' interest in TAGRO
>>>>>> (biosolid compost for sale, following the lead of Milorganite).
>>>>>> I've seen political tussles between the yard waste compost
>>>>>> 'side' (more ag engineering background) and the biosolids
>>>>>> 'side' (more civil engineers/solid waste manager background) both
>>>>>> locally and at Composting Council - here, the two 'sides' don't
>>>>>> seem to communicate or cooperate all that much. Who knows, I might
>>>>>> be full of biosolids with my pop sociology, here - the point is
>>>>>> that, whatever the science involved, politics and economics also
>>>>>> influence decisions and justifications. We are not simply members
>>>>>> of the public, we're consumers, and our choice of whether or
>>>>>> not to
>>>>>> use a publicly produced product such as biosolid compost can
>>>>>> make or break careers and reputations.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Don
>>>>>> http://urbanministrygarden.wordpress.com
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> _______________________________________________
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>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>
>
>
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