Sludge Watch ==> Wyoming- sewage treatment plant sells 'compost' - up to you to 'play it safe'

[Maureen Reilly]

Sludgewatch Admin:

The use of sewage sludge compost on home gardens is discussed in this news 
story.

Again...not much accurate reporting.  Is it really composted?  Or is it just 
dried as described below.
And even though the customers are directed to mix it with soil some are 
using it full strength.
This increases pathogen and heavy metal risks in their garden soil and their 
food.

According to the story some people  store the sludge compost before using 
it...a practice that will  increase the risk of pathogen regrowth.


..................................


City offers compost for a small price


A machine turns a row of compost Friday morning at the City of Gillette 
Wastewater Treatment Facility. Turning the compost mixes air into the Grade 
A mulch, which is for sale to the public for $10 a yard.
— News-Record photo by Paul Ruhter
By J.D. STETSON, News-Record Writer

For those who don’t have the luxury of waiting months to make compost, a 
cheaper source of “Grade A” compost can be purchased at the City of Gillette 
Wastewater Treatment Facility.

The product is called Stonepile Select Compost, a by-product of an anaerobic 
(without oxygen) digestion process of the waste that is flushed down the 
toilet.

Jane Foster, a Gillette gardener, bought a dump-truck load of the compost 
last year and uses it for the flower pots in her yard.

She stores the compost and when spring arrives or she gets a new pot she 
uses what she needs.

She said that the treatment facility recommends mixing the compost with 
soil, but she thinks it does a better job by itself.

Jane said she doesn’t use the compost in her tomato plant pots because of 
the possibility of E-coli or other pathogens.

“I know that they process it so that there isn’t any pathogens, but I still 
don’t use it in those pots,” Foster said.

Al Padova, owner of CJ’s Landscaping, uses the compost frequently in his 
business.

He said he likes the idea of reusing our waste for the benefit of the yards 
and gardens.

“It’s a lot easier to use compost instead of shipping in 6 inches of top 
soil,” Padova said.

As for the possibility of pathogens, Padova thinks people using it for 
vegetable gardens is personal choice.

“If you want to play it safe, then play it safe,” Padova said.

Mark Paxton, treatment facility foreman, said the compost has to be “Grade 
A” before they are allowed to sell it, which means it is tested for fecal 
counts, salmonella and other harmful organisms. Only limited amounts are 
allowed.

Paxton said the compost is used by residents and landscapers in gardens, 
lawns and flower beds.

The compost costs $10 per yard, but it’s limited to 20 yards per batch per 
customer.

Until recently, the compost has been dried by taking it out to the fields 
south of the facility and to heat up and be turned — a process which took 
months to get results .

Now, the compost is dried using a centrifuge that yields 12 yards of compost 
a day, Paxton said. Paxton doesn’t expect any of the newer compost to be 
available for another couple of months.

Another couple of months would be fine for Foster, who said she might need a 
littlemore asher supply dwindles.

STONEPILE COMPOST

About 600 to 700 yards of Stonepile Select Compost is available at the 
Wastewater Treatment Facility off Garner Lake Road.

- How it’s made: After an extensive treatment process that includes 
anaerobic (without oxygen) digestion and the removal of pathogenic 
organisms, the biosolids are dried and sold as compost.

- Hauling it away: People who use a private hauler need to go out to the 
facility ahead of time to pay for the compost.

- Community Garden: Stonepile Select Compost should not be used in vegetable 
gardens because of the treatment processes. But it is good in flower beds 
and as a base for new lawns.


http://www.gillettenewsrecord.com/articles/2007/05/20/news/news05.txt