Sludge Watch ==> Louisiana - controversy over compost made with sludge and garbage

[Maureen Reilly]

Sludgewatch Admin:

Composting sewage sludge is already a problem due to industrial chemicals 
and metals.  But when the sewage sludge is mixed with municipal trash the 
levels of toxic metals tend to be even higher.
(Prof Bev Hale has told me that 'heavy metals' is not a meaningful 
term...'toxic metals' is a better description of the metals of concern in 
sewage sludge).

These metals stay in the compost, and the levels increase as the volume of 
composting materials are processed.  These toxic metals can then be taken up 
in foods grown in vegetable gardens.  People who use these high metals 
sludge composts can then be at risk for toxic metals levels in their blood.

Metals that can be problematic include mercury, cadmium, and lead.

Living near sewage sludge composting sites can be a terrible trial due to 
odor, flies, blowing debris and illness as any Sludge Watch reader will 
know.
.....................................................

Council to vote on compost facility
Iberia Parish may resolve issue tonight
Amanda McElfresh
amcelfresh at theadvertiser.com

Lafayette Louisiana
Dec 27, 2007

Nearly 10 years of discussion about building a controversial composting 
facility in Iberia Parish could come to an end tonight.
The Iberia Parish Council is expected to vote on a resolution that would 
call for them to immediately stop discussions and negotiations about a 
composting facility that uses the Bedminster process.


In the process, garbage is mixed with sewage sludge for three days, creating 
a compost that can be used in sugar cane fields, gardens and other areas.

The project has drawn considerable opposition from several residents, who 
are concerned about the environmental impact such a facility would have on 
the area.
"I have been there so many times, it's not even funny," said resident 
Barbara Foco, an outspoken opponent of the proposed facility who has 
addressed the council several times. "It needs to be put to rest. It needs 
to end."

Since June, the parish council has been discussing stopping funding for the 
project. At a June 27 meeting, Councilman Ray Fremin admitted that the 
Bedminster facility would "absoulutely not" be a perfect solution to the 
parish's waste disposal problems, and that officials should continue to look 
for other possible alternatives.

Foco said she and several other residents plan to attend the meeting to 
encourage the council to stop discussing the facility.

Some are planning to wear T-shirts with the word "Deadminster" printed on 
them, Foco said.

"I'm not scared to talk. With all my information in hand, I have no fear," 
Foco said.



http://www.theadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071227/NEWS01/712270306/1002