You doo, the ultimate recycling

[begreen]

My son sent me this article. I've often wondered why this is not done more.

http://www.wired.com/science/planetearth/news/2005/07/68127/

 

[Eric Johnson]

When I lived in rural Japan and Korea in the early '70s, the honeybucket man was also the local fertilizer applicator. Right on the rice paddies and other fields. In parts of Southeast Asia, cow dung is a building product.

I don't understand why we flush something as potentially valuable down the toilet and allow it to pollute our waterways. I really don't.

In Milwaukee, they process it into a coveted organic fertilizer and make money selling it worldwide. It's called Milorganite, I believe. Good stuff.

 

[kevinmoelk]

This reminds me of the "Humanure" book. All about a guy who essentially composts his poop and uses it for his garden. It's all well and good, but... I'm not into handling my own poop. Now a composting toilet I could use.

Still trying to figure out a good use for all the dog poop I have access to... Incidentally I've tried to burn it, but it does not burn well.

-Kevin

 

[Corey]

I can see the methane generation, but I would think (at least large scale) that the poo would need quite a good baking to really insure that all pathogens were killed off - well beyond any simple composting heat. Seems like I remember seeing some outfit that cooked it at 1200F to insure that one guy's poo wouldn't cause disease in another guys garden.

 

[Gibbonboy]

The whole idea behind the Humanure book and process is that it composts for a full year after you stop adding to the pile. There should be no disease pathogens unless you have the disease first. Visitors could theoretically have them, but maybe you could slip them a wormer in the canapes? Like he says in the book, does it make sense to process water to a drinkable state, just to poop in it, then flush and repeat the cycle? I'd rather have a neighbor that composted their poop than one who incinerates it at 1100 degrees. I've had to burn waste before, not a big fan of poop smoke.

 

[jpl1nh]

I’ve had to burn waste before, not a big fan of poop smoke.

Another advantage of todays clean burning stoves! %-P

 

[jpl1nh]

In Milwaukee, they process it into a coveted organic fertilizer and make money selling it worldwide. It’s called Milorganite, I believe. Good stuff.

It's one of my favorite lawn fertilizers. I do believe the waste from the beer industry in Milwakee is one of the things that makes Milorganite special. I also spread my own personal beer waste on the lawn if you know what I mean. ;-)

 

[Eric Johnson]

I do that kind of treatment on my compost pile. I use the standard applicator.

Nice new avatar, BTW.

It's not only the brewery residue, but the the reprocessed bratwurst that makes it so special.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

I'd be afraid of all the lithium and other garbage that would be in it. I wonder what composted prozac does?

Matt

 

[Eric Johnson]

They don't need any of that stuff in Milwaukee--not with all that beer.

 

[begreen]

Actually, it's the antibiotics in the waste stream that are very concerning. Between human and pet waste, there is a lot of that being flushed down the drains.

 

[pdboilermaker]

They also can and do use the methane from landfills to do the same thing

 

[Gibbonboy]

Even not human and pet use, but commercial meat/egg operations. The amount of antibiotics in modern cattle and chicken feed is scary. Also, as today's useless fact, the US beef industry consumes more than 3/4 or the sodium bicarbonate produced, since cows are designed to eat grass, not grain. All the tainted GMO corn they jam into the feedlot animals gives them a tummy ache, so they need an antacid to keep eating grain.