The Waste of Waste (2000)
by John A. Davison
Dateline October 30, 2000.
Dateline The Waste of Waste
It is interesting to me that very often in political campaigns the most
important issues are ignored. Here is one such issue. There are now on
this planet approximately 6 billion people and roughly the same number of
chickens. The number of cattle has been estimated at perhaps 2 to 3
billion with other domesticated livestock in somewhat lesser
numbers. There is no doubt that the animal biomass on earth is at an all
time high. At the same time the plant biomass has been steadily decreasing
due largely to the destruction of the tropical rain forests. Plants
utilize the carbon dioxide produced by the animals and, when this balance
is disrupted, CO2 levels increase. This in turn produces the greenhouse
effect and accordingly promotes global warming. Related to this are the
problems associated with the handling of the enormous quantities of human
and animal waste. It is this issue that I want to address.
We currently deal with human waste through sewage treatment facilities
often of very sophisticated design. Nevertheless, the effluent from these
facilities enters out freshwater environment and ultimately reaches the
sea. The same can be said for septic tanks the leachate from which also
enters the aquifers and ultimately, because water flows downhill, the
ocean. I feel that these practices are unacceptable. Whenever an energetic
system is open the second law of thermodynamics takes over and the total
energy of the system tends to a minimum. We are also of course poisoning
both our freshwater and marine water systems by these practices. There is
a limit to what the ocean can absorb. The Mediterranean Sea has become a
virtual sewer, although some steps are being taken to reverse that
condition.
I offer the following suggestions as a means to stop the effect of these
practices. The solution as I see it is the composting toilet. Units
suitable for a family of four are available for under two thousand
dollars. The finished compost can be collected and returned directly to
the land from which the food that we eat originates. This closes the
energetic loop and avoids the loss of valuable nutrient. It also serves
to eliminate the water necessary to flush the conventional toilet. It is
interesting to note that progressive farmers are employing this practice
with their cattle. The animals are kept in barns and fed corn and hay
which is grown nearby. The animal droppings are collected and placed in
digesters which generate methane which is used to provide electrical
power. The finished compost can then be tilled into the soil for the next
sequence of crops. It all makes very good sense. The Orientals for
centuries have employed similar practices by placing their homes atop
hillsides. Their waste serves to fertilize rice and other crops grown on
terraces below the house. At the bottom is a pond into which fingerling
fish are introduced. After the fish mature they are caught and taken up
the hill to be eaten and the cycle continues with a minimum of lost
energy. I am confident that these concepts can be effectively employed to
deal with human and animal waste on a world wide level.
I have recently purchased a ten acre lot on the shores of Lake Champlain
on which I plan to build an energy efficient home to include a composting
toilet. At the present time it seems that Vermont will not allow new home
construction without a state of the art septic system. That is a sad
state of affairs. Other states have approved composting facilities to
replace septic systems. Vermont should do the same. As your Governor I
would propose tax breaks for any household employing a composting system
as a replacement for either a septic or municipal facility. I would also
encourage composting toilets for all public buildings and give tax
breaks to industries that would do the same. We have simply got to stop
poisoning our environment!
Of course this can only be done through the bully pulpit which is what
this Newsletter is all about.
Thank you. God Bless Vermont and God Bless America.
(c) Copyright 2000 by John A. Davison.
Latest modification October 30, 2000.
This document and others by the same author may be found on-line at:
http://www.uvm.edu/~jdavison/