Search

This article discusses the topic of bioplastics and their potential benefits and challenges. Bioplastics are plastics made from organic materials other than petroleum and can be engineered to decompose. However, the decomposition of bioplastics depends on the environment and can vary. There are different types of bioplastics, each with its own properties and decomposition rates. While bioplastics offer some hope for composting, there are concerns about their energy-intensive production and potential impact on food production. The article also highlights the need for compatibility between the composting industry's definition of compostable and the bioplastic manufacturers' definition. [Extracted from the article]

This article discusses the concept of a circular economy and its application to nutrient flows in urban areas, specifically focusing on nitrogen and phosphorus. It examines the role of wastewater treatment plants, composting, and community gardens in Seattle and Tacoma in utilizing and repurposing these nutrients to grow food. The article emphasizes the importance of reducing dependence on synthetic fertilizers and utilizing recycled nutrients for sustainable agriculture.

The National Academy of Sciences has released a report exploring the connection between soil health and human health. The report suggests that healthy soil contributes to healthy people, although the relationship is not well understood. While organic food is often seen as a way to promote soil health, the reality is more complex. The report also highlights the importance of compost and biosolids in improving soil health, but raises concerns about contaminants in these materials. The Organic Certification program, which sets standards for organic food production, may need to be reevaluated in light of new understandings of soil health. [Extracted from the article]

Plastic waste is a significant environmental issue, with an estimated 34 million tons generated annually, the majority of which ends up in landfills or oceans. Recycling rates for plastic are low, with only about 9% of plastic waste being recycled. Different types of plastic have unique properties that make recycling challenging, and the most common approach is mechanical recycling, which involves shredding and heating the plastic to make new products. Chemical recycling, which breaks down the plastic into its monomers, is a more expensive but potentially promising method. The United States lags behind Europe in plastic recycling rates, and recycling practices can vary by location. While efforts to reduce plastic waste are important, living a completely plastic-free life is not practical for most people. [Extracted from the article]

Compost is beneficial for urban soils as it provides organic matter and improves water absorption, making lawns more drought-resistant. However, some municipalities are hesitant to use compost due to concerns about phosphorus and water quality. While nitrogen and phosphorus can cause eutrophication, compost can help mitigate this issue. Phosphorus only moves sideways and can be bound by clays in the soil, reducing its movement into water. By measuring phosphorus saturation ratios, it is possible to determine if compost is a suitable solution for reducing phosphorus runoff. Additionally, designer composts can be created by adding iron or aluminum to increase phosphorus binding capacity. Overall, compost can be a valuable tool for improving water quality and should be considered as a solution rather than a concern. [Extracted from the article]

The article discusses the concept of reciprocity with nature and the potential benefits of using biosolids and composts as tools for giving back to the environment. The author, Dr. Robin Wall Kimmerer, emphasizes the importance of taking only what is needed and leaving some for others, while also recognizing and respecting the animate beings in nature. The author suggests that biosolids and composts can be viewed as valuable resources that provide important soil nutrients and contribute to the natural cycle. The article highlights the positive effects of using these materials in restoring polluted sites and promoting plant growth. The author concludes by advocating for a shift in perspective and providing individuals with the tools and motivation to contribute to environmental solutions. [Extracted from the article]

A peer-reviewed paper published in Nature Cities claims that urban agriculture has six times the carbon intensity of conventional agriculture. The paper is based on survey results from gardens in France, Germany, Poland, the United Kingdom, and the U.S. The authors used a model called Ecoinvent to calculate emissions, but the assumptions in the model were not shared. The study found that urban farms had lower emissions than traditional agriculture within three years of establishment, while individual and collective urban gardens had higher emissions. The paper acknowledges the benefits of urban agriculture, such as better eating habits and a connection to nature and neighbors, but suggests that current practices may need improvement. [Extracted from the article]

The article focuses on the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) October 2023 report on methane emissions from landfilled food waste, emphasizing that the report conclusively states that landfilling food scraps generates substantial methane. Topics include the use of older data in the report, highlighting the EPA's reliance on outdated estimates and emphasizing the need for more current and realistic data to address the significant environmental impact of methane emissions.

A personal narrative is presented which explores the author's experience of account of the many phases of mask wearing in a household.

JULY 28, 2020 Part I Can Compost Draw Down Carbon? If you've seen how compost can bring dead soils to life and supersize plants, it is clear how compost can enhance all of the biological processes in treating storm water. Again compost filter socks and wetlands with engineered soils incorporating compost. Compost tools include filter socks, and biofilters and wetlands using engineered soil with compost. [Extracted from the article]

The article presents a paper that details a statistical analysis based on a life cycle analysis (LCA) to compare land application of compost to compost applied as landfill daily cover. It discusses that impact of wasting organics as landfill, along with mentions the nitrogen and carbon sequestration assumptions.

The article focuses on the contaminants which are found in the pharmceutials and personal care products used in homes, such as antimicrobials in the toothpaste which when mixed with soil becomes triclosan. Topics discussed include role of environmental scientists to warn about the health impacts due to composts and biosolids which are carbon based.

The article focuses on poly- and perfluorinated alkyls substances (PFAS) in biosolids, composts, and other residuals. Topics discussed include what biosolids and residuals managers can do as PFAS and biosolids are beginning to create unease among some farmers and other end users who have relied on biosolids for many years and the issue of potential leaching that impacts drinking water and possibly surface water.

The article focuses on the regulatory actions that damage biosolids recycling programs and composting facilities are triggered by fears and uncertainties about Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). It refers to Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) as the most common and most toxic PFAS.

The article comments on the link between environmental justice and soil contamination. Topics include social factors that impact health including economic stability, education, health, healthcare and built environment; benefits of reclaiming and using land to grow plants such as reduced mortality, heart rate and violence, improved mental health and narrowing of income-based inequalities; and transmission of contaminants from dirt to people through inhalation, dermal contact and ingestion.

The article offers information on Compost which is a natural fertilizer and soil conditioner made from decomposed organic matter. It mentions that it is important to note that composting can be a complex process, and not all organic matter that can be composted should be added to a compost pile; foods such as meat, fish, and dairy products attract pests and can create unpleasant odors as they decompose.

The article offers information about the comparison of composts and a Class A biosolids blend to chemical fertilizer to measure soil and plant benefits. It mentions about the business of making compost or making a potting soil blend with the biosolids, feedstocks and quantities matter. It discusses the increasing use of vermicompost on plants.

The article discusses the composting methods adopted by the Monroe Correctional facility, Washington to treat food scraps including vermicomposting, black soldier flies, and Bokashi fermentation. Topics include the vermicomposting conducted through stabilization with worms, inoculation of bran with microbes to treat wastes, and use of fly larvae.

The article reports on the human impacts of Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in compost or biosolids and the role of organics recycling in mitigating the impact. It discusses the circular economy, urban metabolism, urban harvest, and modified wastewater treatment system. It mentions the planning of incorporating nature-like green stormwater infrastructure into the cities.

The article highlights that the National Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), a division of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, can help to encourage changes in agricultural practices through implementing programs that support or provide financial assistance to growers who implement beneficial practices.

An interview with Andrew Carpenter, who runs a business that includes sampling soils and other environmental media for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) contamination, is presented. Carpenter tells about the recycling of biosolids in Maine either through Class B land application programs or Class A general distribution programs. He talks about farms with extremely high PFAS concentrations and the cumulative loading and approximate estimated biosolids concentrations in Maine.

The article explores how to evaluate different properties for a potential composting facility location. Topics include Planning a new merchant organics recycling facility requires considerable thought and investigation at possible sites for a composting facility; and covered methods to assess the markets' potential to absorb your compost and/or soils products.

The article explores how biosolids are pelletized and used in western Massachusetts. described how a portion of the collected material will be sent to anaerobic digesters located at the wastewater treatment plant in North Andover, Massachusetts; and concentrations of California Association of Sanitation Agencies compounds in various consumer products and biosolids.

The article informs about producing food taking advantage of available residuals generated through food production and consumption. Topics include basic tenet of an emerging field of research that attempts to quantify nutrient flows in food systems; and taking advantage of available residuals from producing and consuming the food in the process of production.

The article offers information on the installment of Connections' Drawdown series reviews the pros and cons of lawns, concluding that they ultimately provide more environmental benefits than harm. It discusses that these urban lawns also offer much appreciated ecosystem services in urban areas; and mentions that Mollisols are characterized by a deep dark ‘A' horizon that is chock full of organic matter from the dense rooting system of grasses.

The article reviews several household food waste devices, including the Vitamix food cycler, the Reencle food recycler, and the Kitchen waste composter from BeyondGreen.

The article offers information on using compost and organics as water conservation and soil improvement practices for agricultural purposes in the U.S. Topics discussed include impact of climatic changes to water scarcity, role of composting in water management, and water resources management. Also mentioned are role of organics in improving water-soil interactions, using biosolids as a fertilizer, and drought survival practices. INSET: RECYCLING EVERY DROP OF ORGANICS.

In the article, the author discusses the efforts of governments around the world to reduce methane (CH4) emissions and recycle food scraps to help protect the environment. Also cited are the need to address nitrous oxide (N2O), which is claimed to have around 300 times global warming potential of methane, and some high risk materials like animal slurries, wastewater and biosolids.

The article gives an summary of the findings that the food getting wasted also takes a lot of land, energy, and water to grow. Topics include considered that the part of the revision did not dwell on is the upgrade for animals and feeding these scraps to animals is now the next best thing to feeding them to people as better than anaerobic digestion, better than composting and of course, better than landfilling.

The article reports on the transformation of wastewater treatment facilities into renewable resource centers in the U.S. in 2012. It says that the development is a great achievement, particularly when it comes to the protection of the public from waterborne diseases. It notes that the improvement is associated to the introduction of stricter rules by the government such as the Clean Water Act in the 1970s.

The article explores the Waco Metropolitan Area Regional Sewerage System (WMARSS) Plant in Texas. It notes that the plant, which has an average influent flow of 25 million gallons per day with a rated capacity of 37.8 million gallons per day, also serves neighboring municipalities in Waco. It focuses on how the plant controls the quantity of organics that enter for processing.

The article discusses the function of landfills and the organic components of solid waste. It focuses on the different components of municipal solid wastes (MSW) as well as the benefits of organic residuals. It explains the energy benefits of various organic residuals and its nutrient content, which is an indicator of the value of the material as fertilizer. It explores three ways to turn piles of organics into renewable energy such anaerobic digestion, pyrolysis/gasification and combustion.

The article offers information on the development of soil function to reduce contaminant concentration and bioavailability. It is stated that a contaminant in urban soils is present at higher concentrations, which can cause harm, and its measure is known as bioavailability. It notes the elevated soil lead, which causes lead poisoning, and the use of compost for lead reduction. It also mentions the importance of assessing the soil contaminant bioavailability before starting a garden.

The article discusses the use of human waste or humanure and biosolids as fertilizers and their benefits. Topics discussed include annual per capita production of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in human waste and biosolids; use of water to carry wastes in centralized wastewater treatment plants; and cadmium content in human waste and biosolids.

In this article, the author focuses on water shortages in addition with the high carbon dioxide equivalence. She states that water is managed by a single utility and a separate regulatory agency manage wastewater and increased desalinization was combined with use of reclaimed water for agriculture. She mentions that for both energy and water traditional models are no longer appropriate for limited resources and has to figure out how to replace approaches which include decentralized sources.

The article reports that Anaerobic digestion (AD) help in getting the green energy and the soil amendment as the material coming out of a digester referred to as digestate is as good for soils as compost or municipal biosolids. Topics include common in municipal wastewater treatment; and solids to meet regulatory requirements for pathogen destruction and volatile solids reduction.

The article informs about federal funds to start rebuilding reclaimed water infrastructure would create a sustainable and climate resilient source of water. Topics include chemistry of the Puget Sound reflects mixture of salt and fresh water; and importance of appropriate levels of dissolved oxygen with conditions any excess nitrogen can result in depletion of the oxygen.

In this article, the author presents her views on experience of her mother-in-law and her brother on growing up on a farm during the Dust Bowl in the 1930s. It mentions soil erosion in Dust Bowl because of the extreme drought; and also mentions importance of soil organic matter and hog manure in Dust Bowl.

The article discusses presence of perfluorinated compounds in food waste. Topics discussed include high concentrations of fluorine in lipstick, mascara, foundation, and other products for eyes and skin; water quality standards; and biosolids produced by a treatment plant that accepted influent from a PFAS factory in Decatur, Alabama.

The article discusses sales of toilet paper in the U.S. Topics discussed include efforts to writing letters to toilet paper manufacturers to stop cutting down virgin forest to make toilet paper; success of bamboo-based toilet paper business; and toilet paper shortage in COVID-19 pandemic and World War II.

The article presents the application of organics increases soil water, resulting in greater drought tolerance for non-irrigated crops and less frequent irrigation for irrigated crops. Topics include the climate can impact water demand above what is required for photosynthesis by increasing transpiration demand, the transpiration is the process of water movement from plant roots up through leaves and into the atmosphere, and the plants have to maintain equilibrium in internal water pressure.

In the article, the author discusses some ways ordinary citizens in the U.S. can help mitigate climate change by citing as example the efforts by a lawyer in Missouri. She claims that projects like combined curbside collection of food scraps and yard trimmings for said purpose could be launched at the local levels for better chance of success. Other suggestions include composting in one's backyard, establishing compost bins in schools, and lobbying to town councils to subsidize compost bins.

The article discusses the potential environmental benefits and global warming impact of composting. It is stated that the three core elements of composting namely, feedstocks, composting process and compost use helps prevents global warming and showed that its environmental friendly practices limit emissions of greenhouse gasses. Proper management and practice of composting process is critical to minimize greenhouse gas emissions such as diverting food residuals from landfills and proper application of compost use in vineyards. However, the use of equipment to set up compost piles and gas emissions from piles during composting are also sources of emission but they can be reduced by use of renewable energy and careful control of the compost process to eliminate anaerobic conditions.

Part II. Discusses trends in Class A biosolids production. Techniques reported by municipal wastewater treatment plants across the United States for creating a consumer friendly product that brings cost savings and pathogen reduction; Importance of reducing transportation costs associated with beneficial use of the biosolids without increasing processing costs; Production of Class A cake as an initial step towards developing local markets.

A national survey of both small and large-scale wastewater treatment facilities shows varied approaches to reaching markets with superior methods that take the ''biosolids out of the biosolids."Increasingly, biosolids program managers are feeling pressure to go to Class A production. Reasons include: Class A biosolids are expected to be viewed as safer by the general public leading to greater acceptance of beneficial use of biosolids; Use of Class A material is not restricted and no site specific permits or plans are required, suggesting that more beneficial end use options are available, potentially at lower cost than traditional beneficial uses for Class B material.

Focuses on the total carbon content in agricultural and nonagricultural soils. Factors that contribute to mineralization of soil organic carbon; Effect of using biosolids on soil carbon reserves; Comparative amount of greenhouse gas contributions of landfilling biosolids and land application in forests and in agricultural soils.

Evaluates the impact of biosolids and global warming management program based on a case study of King County, Washington. Details on the cause of global warming; Effects of biosolids and carbon balance in the environment; Determination on the amount of greenhouse gases that would be generated by landfillled biosolids and its entry into the atmosphere.

Examines the effect of different types of biosolids and biosolid processing methods on reducing lead availability in urban soils. Options to address the high lead content in soil; Reduction in bioavailability of lead compared with the control soil; Chemistry of lead and other metals of concern in contaminated soils.