You know the poop that gets flushed, how does that get disposed of when it reaches it's destination?

Answer 1

Haven't you seen Mr. Hankey's documentary "The Circle of Poo"? It explains it all!

Answer 2

Does no one see that our poo is like all poo, in that its a biodegradable organic product.

Sewage treatment works use enough processes so that its decomposed and doesn't exist anymore. It doesn't end up in the sea unless the sewage treatment works are not doing their job, and there is overflow. Even then, it'll be broken down naturally and won't exist in the near future anymore anyway. It isn't 'stored'. People always love biodegradable products as they won't be dumped in landfill sites, and if they are, they won't be there long as they're broken down. The same goes for poo. If we tried to 'store' it, it'd be pointless.

It may be used on farmers fields, but it'll be treated first, no one could use products that'd contain E.coli etc on the fields. If you're concerned about E.coli, I'd be more concerned about meat, not veg. Knowing how meat is processed in a lot of abatoires, that is much more of a risk.

In most developed countries, the 'destination' is the sewage treatment works. The clean up processes at these are sufficient so as the water that comes out of these, is cleaner than bottle water (which generally does not have the same regulations as tap water).

Primary process - screening of large objects

Secondary process - activated sludge and biological aerated filters (this is the microbes and that that break down the organic compounds).

Tertiary process - Constructed wetlands and disinfection etc

Answer 3

Sewage is sent to your local waste water treatment plant, which is typicaly on or near a river/laker (more on that later).

The sewage is allowed to settle, so anythng that does not dissolve or suspend in the sewage water drops to the bottom or gets filtered out, chemicals are sometimes added to further this process.

The more or less solid free water is then treated, using micro-organisms, unless the waste in the water is at an acceptable level and/or that it doesn't consume too much oxygen breaking down the waste... This is important because, the treated water is then released into rivers and lakes, where aquatic lives require oxygen to survive. And voila, we are done. It is certainly a lot more complicated than this, but this is more or less the outline.

Answer 4

well I know for a fact that many areas including Norfolk, leave it lying in slurry ponds for a number of months.
After this time, it is spread on the fields to aid growing of the crops.
This is no joke, it does happen.

No research has been done into what may be contained and lying dormant in this sh@te such as ecoli etc etc.

Then we buy the produce at the supermarket and happily munch away.

Just like in the film "The Lion King"
It's the circle of Sh1te, sorry i mean life.

Answer 5

It depends greatly on where you live. You may have a septic tank, which stores the poop (and liquids) while bacteria break down the solids. This produces a sludge, which occasionally need to be cleaned out.

If you live in an area where your sewage goes to a municipal water treatment plant, solids are filtered out through screens before the rest of the water is treated in other ways to make it safe for human use again, or to be poured into rivers and such. What happens to the filtered-out waste depends on the treatment plant. I toured my local treatment plant (near Boulder, Colorado), and they explained that they really do turn the poop (and toilet paper, and any other solid stuff we might flush) into compost, which is sold to farmers, who then use it as fertilizer to grow crops that we eat. Mmmm...well-fertilized vegetables!

Answer 6

It really doesn't matter what becomes of it, because all creatures do it. It's not as though we can stop. It breaks down, it goes away. It even has some beneficial properties.

The only permanent kind of poop is the poop that flows out of Washington D.C. and Hollywood. This is poop that damages everything it touches and has no beneficial properties what so ever.

Answer 7

Not very well, it pollutes our water. There are better alternatives. Compost toilets convert it into fertiliser. Reed bed water filtration systems deal with it in an environmentally friendly way. Reeds get it cleaner than chemicals for less expense. Some types of composting kill the germs and eggs and produce top quality fertiliser. If you put it in sawdust then put the sawdust into a big metal box, the urine will break everything down into rich, clean fertiliser for your garden.

If you poo in a bucket of water and poo on the ground you'll see which decomposes first. The one on the ground breaks down quickly and the one in water just gets bigger. Why pollute our clean water which is one of our most valuable and necessary commodities?

Answer 8

Does this question keep you up at night?

I think they do something with it at a sewage treatment plant. Like use chemicals to dissolve it maybe?

I know that in Portland when it rains a lot, poops flow right out into the Multnomah River.

Answer 9

Most of it gets eaten. Most waste waster treatment plants have at their heart some form of biological treatment process. They vary and I'm not going into all of the different types. They all depend on microorganisms ''bugs" to oxidize "consume" the volatile organics found in waste water. Yummy. Basically we take what nature does does and speed it up.

Answer 10

"Wessex Water provides sewerage services in the south west of England, including Dorset, Somerset, Bristol, most of Wiltshire and parts of Gloucestershire, Hampshire and Devon.


Sewage from 2.5 million people leaves homes and businesses and travels through a network of sewers until it reaches one of 392 sewage treatment works.


At the works the sewage is treated before being safely returned to the environment.


Sewage is made up of water from washbasins, kitchen sinks and baths, the waste flushed down the toilet and rainwater from roads, roofs and gardens.


Our sewage treatment works also deal with various types of industrial effluent - mainly liquid organic waste from industries such as dairy product manufacturers, abattoirs and food factories.


Almost all sewage is organic which is why sewage treatment works use natural, organic processes."

"The sewage goes through the following processes:

• Debris, rags and large objects, are removed using screens

• Sewage flows into tanks where the solids sink to the bottom and are removed as sludge

• The sewage is treated biologically - the liquid passes through media with bacteria growing on them, such as filters of stone or plastic. The bacteria feeds off the waste, helping to clean the water.


Another form of biological treatment used by Wessex Water is known as the activated sludge process. Bacteria are mixed with the waste in large tanks using equipment which either blows or beats air into the mixture.

• The cleaned effluent leaves the treatment works and flows into local rivers or the sea

• The treated effluent enters settlement tanks where any remaining solids settle leaving water which is ready to be returned to the environment."

Answer 11

I personally think that it biodegrates or something like that. I know that I'm not gonna stop pooping to save the environment.