ORGANIC Bio Solids??????

[whoose]

Bought some Organic compost from the local nursery, used one bag in a new raised bed and then read the ingredients. Wood and BIO SOILDS, what the hell. Can bio solids be considered organic?

[PaulF]

This is what the EPA (not sure I trust a government bureaucracy anyway) says about bio-solids: https://www.epa.gov/biosolids.

By definition biologicals are organic so long as there are no inorganic chemicals added.

Not being a strict organic person, I have used prepared bio-solids, OMA-GRO, and they are great so far as I am concerned.

[brownrexx]

I guess that if you eat organic you can poop organic?

[Worth1]

Depends on what else goes down public utility sewers.
That can change drastically from place to place.
A person could end up with heroin addict tomatoes.
Worth

[clkeiper]

only if all the solids came from an organic source? and how could you be sure of that?

[zeuspaul]

Originally Posted by PaulF

This is what the EPA (not sure I trust a government bureaucracy anyway) says about bio-solids: https://www.epa.gov/biosolids.

By definition biologicals are organic so long as there are no inorganic chemicals added.

Not being a strict organic person, I have used prepared bio-solids, OMA-GRO, and they are great so far as I am concerned.

Using that definition all food is organic. However to be certified organic it has to meet certain standards one of which is no biosolids including products/compost derived from biosolids.

https://www.omri.org/generic-material/sewage-sludge

Sewage Sludge


English Español
Ruling Body:
NOP

Status:
Prohibited

Class. abbreviation:
CF

Classification:
Crop Fertilizers and Soil Amendments

Origin:
Synthetic

Description:
Also called biosolids. See Glossary for definition of "sewage sludge."

[KarenO]

Plenty of inorganic chemicals go down sinks and toilets (cleaning products and drain openers, laundry detergents, bleach, paper and feminine Hygiene products... this does not include residues from medications, illegally or just stupidly dumped solvents, chemicals, grease, oil...
I personally would not use a product containing bio solids of human sewage wastes in my garden. Impossible to regulate, impossible to control the content and it should not be called an organic product unless it can definitely certified free if any of the above mentioned contamination.
KarenO

[greenthumbomaha]

Thank you, KarenO. Your description says it all.

I used to clean out sludge trays on board a research ship with my bare hands back in the good ole days of college. Its a shame they would sell such a product, at a garden center no less.

- Lisa

[heirloomtomaguy]

Originally Posted by KarenO

Plenty of inorganic chemicals go down sinks and toilets (cleaning products and drain openers, laundry detergents, bleach, paper and feminine Hygiene products... this does not include residues from medications, illegally or just stupidly dumped solvents, chemicals, grease, oil...
I personally would not use a product containing bio solids of human sewage wastes in my garden. Impossible to regulate, impossible to control the content and it should not be called an organic product unless it can definitely certified free if any of the above mentioned contamination.
KarenO

Totally agree! I stay away from bio solids at all costs.

[AlittleSalt]

Karen, I agree, and could not have worded it better.

You never know what people are washing down their drains besides the obvious things we can think of. I will never know how my father disposed of 25 gallons of Agent Orange years ago, but he got rid of it somewhere.

[Worth1]

Much of the stuff that you wouldn't want in your soil or food is a chemical organic compound.
As far as I am concerned the well meaning people that started the organic movement inadvertently missed the target big time when they decide to use the term organic.

Many insecticides and other nasty things people will not use or have been banned are organic compounds.
This opens the door for people to put organic on products and not or cant put the well meaning certified organic labels on them.

If you see organic on something and not the certification there may very well be a good reason for it.
Not to say all products are that way but some.
Read the labels and do the research if you are concerned.

In my own opinion I would rather put 13-13-13 on my soil than use any bio solids either coming from the city sewer or my own outhouse.
It just gives me the creeps.

Worth

[Worth1]

Speaking of organic compounds.
This morning in the dark I just drove through about 2 miles of what smelled like a fog of Raid insecticide.
I have no idea where it was coming from but maybe farm land.
Maybe even one of those roach bombs.
Worth

[BigVanVader]

Bio-solids (dried people sewage) is a big no-no if your consuming what is grown in it. It would be like growing hydroponically in sewage. As others stated and studies have shown, they can contain all sorts of nasty...$hit

[AKmark]

I could never get past where it comes from. I can't even drink recycled water when I go to a big city, no thanks, bottled water every time. You guys enjoy the Bio Solids and the water too. These can be added to reasons why I live in a small town in AK, far away from the bulk of the peeps.

[Cole_Robbie]

A family member of mine works at the local sewage treatment plant. He says the sludge has heavy metals and prescription drug residues, particularly birth control pill hormones. He also said when they spread the sludge out to dry, the one type of weed that grows the most out the sludge is tomatoes.