Why don't they take human waste & make fertilizer like they do out of animals waste Would it be better/worse?

Question

If animal waste makes good fertilizer, why not human? Wouldnt' it be better than it going into the oceans etc. Wouldn't this be a form of recycling ?

Answer 1

I can be done, it's called 'humanuer' and organic farmers living off the grid have been doing it for a long time. The wastes that come from porta-potties on construction sites is processed into fertilizer also.

Check out composting toilets for remote living if you'd like to know more.

Answer 2

You are absolute correct and it is a very smart thing to do and will help break dependence on fossil fuels while providing more jobs for americans while reducing pollution from sewage treatments.

Actually, it can be done, and has been done by the Chinese and other countries for centuries. It was done in the west in the middle ages and renaissance too.

As has been stated by others the complicating factors are what people ingest these days and all the weird chemicals from food additives, metal in pipes and dishware and drugs that people take. You also find jewelry and other odd stuff in sewage.

My company is working on a new process that not only makes fertilizer but eliminates the pathogens such as bacteria and viral problem as well as the harder to fight things such as prions which cause mad cow and related diseases.

We also have a natural biological treatment method for handling the heavy metals and processing them out, many in ways that will let us recycle them as well.

The biggest benefit? Oh just thousands of cubic meters of pure natural gas almost for free. By some studies as much as 1/3 of all energy needed for the US can be made this way.

Lastly, it is cheaper and more eco friendly than normal sewage treatment.

We are looking for investment money to start our first full scale prototypes and get them certified by the EPA/DER.

The small scale tests have worked perfectly.

Answer 3

You're mixing terms. Animal manure is just that: manure. Human waste or feces is also manure. Manure can be composted and made into fertilizer. In some locations, composted sewage from a treatment plant can be used on agricultural soils. However, because heavy metals are somewhat concentrated, the amounts of composted sewage that can be used are regulated. As for your lawn, you might be surprised at what grows if you applied composted sewage: a lot of seeds are not broken down by the composting process. You might wind up with a lawn full of tomato plants...

Answer 4

This is currently being done in some places in the U.S. Composting toilets (which you can also use for composting food and other biodegradable waste) breakdown human waste into an organic fertilizer that is non-hazardous. These toilets also do not use water for flushing therefore they are AWESOME for the environment. Unfortunately I live in an area with strict codes therefore we have a conventional low-flow toilet but the composting toilets are great. The best part is because there is no water... there is no overflow. Imagine life without a plunger : )

Answer 5

Except for the possibility of disease bearing organisms; there is no reason why it cannot be done. When I was growing up 50 years ago, we had huge veg. garden and our Dad would put all organic waste in soil, including feces. Produce was delicious and all 14 of us survived quite well. It decomposes quickly, I go camping same spot all the time and still do my duty outdoors during the night and sure enough, it is gone the next time we go to the same spot! Good luck and God Bless.

Answer 6

people have been doing that for more than a thousand years

the mexican chinampas of the Aztecs where enriched with the material form the public toilets that were o the many bridges goping into the city center

In Mexico also large agricultural operations are fertilized with raw sewage ,which is bad because it lacks the process of decomposition ,and can transmit many diseases ,and it does .

Also in china agriculture is fertilized with human waste directly ,this is called nightsoil ,the fields stink and it is also unhealthy .

Much better to make compost ,and ther are many tyes of compost toilets in use all over the world ,which produce a rich black compost that you can put your nose into.

In thailand the small farmers have beautifull painted toilets by the side of the road ,with flowers and nice smelling herbs ,to entice passers by to use their toilet ,this is how much they value the compost they make from that .

In Mexico many Native people also use compost toilets ,and it is welknown and popular amongst the modern Green people living on the outskirts of modern society.

In Portugal many old traditional toilets are build high up ,with a staircase and the daily intestinal business of the people ,fall directly in the pig feeding trough,

Again in Mexico some very basic country folks toilets consist of just a coral (a reed fence 2 meters square )nothing else ,
you dump the stuff on the floor and the eye that you see watching you does not belong to a pervert ,but is the pig`patiently waiting to rush in after you have gone to consume the treat you left behind .

ever since there have been animals including us their wastes have returned to Nature to feed the soil

here is a short note on compost for your attention.

COMPOST

bones,treetrunks,cardboard,egg... clothes(if they are organic),poop,leaves,kitchen waste,foodscraps,newspaper,
your mother inlaw and kitty litter
and even the dead cat

All can be put on the compost heap

as long as you seal it with a covering of leaves .or put a piece of plastic on top ,
keep it moist and in the shade ,it will then get hot enough to kill all parasites

the worms will devellop,and take care of everything ,the moisture helps decomposition

the plastic keeps in the moisture and protects the worms from predators .like chickens ,birds armadillos,and even dogs .i have seen going in to eat my worm culture

you could add a bit of lime now and again
to make the process more potent

Source(s):
make the compost in a shallow hole ,so that it retains more humidity,
about 2 square meters is good ,and have it under a tree or put a little roof over i t,which does not have to be water proof ,so a palm thatch is enough,

and makesure the garden sprinkler gets there or spray some water on it ,at least once a week,dont have it water logged or the worms will drown or leave


Organic waste is responsible for 70% of contamination in Land fills if it goes out with the trash ,so please do not do this

RECYCLING
Cardboard is also acceptable for recycling

so is glass if you classify it in colors,and
aluminium cans

Answer 7

In the rural area where I live there is no city sewage plant. Each residence has a septic tank that has to be pumped periodically.

The waste that is pumped out of private septic tanks can be spread on the land here (rural Wisconsin). If a person has 40 acres (which most farmers do), you can get a permit to spread the waste from your own septic onto pastureland or cropland - cropland not used to grow food for human consumption.

Answer 8

You cannot use human, feline or canine waste as fertilizer due to possible contamination. Come on, think about it, what is also classified as a Bio-Hazard besides human blood and urine....feces. You can pass on all kinds of illnesses and diseases this way. Your question could have been researched on your own by googling human waste, and you would have saved yourself embarrassment.

Answer 9

Actually, alot of municipalities take human waste from all the sewers and make methene gas, but then just burn it off. That's such a waste (no pun intended) They could use this to power homes, etc.
Human feces is just too bacteria laden to use in gardens for consumable produce. If we all were vegetarians, then it would be a different answer.

Answer 10

Theoretically, it could be done. But human waste is hazardous. It contains dangerous virii and bacteria that need special handling. But it is true that some primitive societies DO use human waste as fertilizer, apparently without harmful side effects.