The "Unmentionable " becomes an Asset !

Remember the days when the contents of Sydney's sewers was simply pumped into the ocean ?   That  was the time when the water offshore was discoloured by a massive and very unpleasant stain - and when onshore winds blew, surfers were encountering what they euphemistically called !" Bondi cigars " !

We have come a long way since those days.  Most human waste is treated and reduced to a harmless sludge and the pipes that carry it into the ocean now go a very long way offshore.   But it seems we have entered a new era where what Sydney flushes is fast becoming a very valuable commercial product.

The boffins have worked their magic and developed a process which turns human waste into a fertilizer which greens paddocks used to feed grazing animals.  Farmers report that crop yields improve by between twenty and thirty percent and they can run more sheep on the improved acreage.
This product is known as " Biosolids " and it has completely transformed the economics of our sewer system.

To remove toxins and bacteria the sludge is  baked in digesters at high heat for long periods to remove the water content and make is more compact.  This size reduction lowers transport costs to the farms and there is the added advantage that the gas expelled is now used to generate electricity.  What used to be a drain on the public purse is being turned into a source of income.

We are fast reaching the stage where demand exceeds the supply, but some very strict regulations apply governing where biosolids can be used.  For a start, the proposed site needs an environmental assessment and both councils and neighbours need to be notified.  Site restrictions then apply,  It can not be applied on the sloping ground of a hill or near a source of water and farmers can not graze stock for a period of thirty days after application..  It is specifically suitable for grazing land and can not be used on land used for crops such as potatoes, spinach or lettuce.

It seems that biosolids have the capacity to transform what is marginal grazing land into prime pasture capable of supporting a higher concentration of sheep or cattle to meet the food supply demands of our growing world population.  There is the added advantage that it permanently improves the nature of the soil because it adds nitrogen and phosphorous and breaks down more slowly than synthetic fertilizer.  In this way, it tends to make the pasture more drought resistant.

No doubt biosolids will generate plenty of jokes pertaining to the origin of the product but returning it to agriculture is something that less sophisticated society has practiced since the dark ages.  Now it seems that the greening of Australia will become reliant on what its citizens will be urged to supply as the base product.

The daily grunt will add to overall prosperity !