Press Release: Problems with Pellets
Sewage Sludge Pellets Proposed at Hamilton Thermo Tech Plant:
Pellets may be a risk to neighbourhood and food chain
The controversial waste drying plant Thermo Tech in Hamilton is being proposed for drying sewage sludge into pellets. The plant, which was formerly used for drying food waste into animal feed was plagued with odour complaints and fires, closed last September. Now American Water Services is proposing to use the facility to dry sewage sludge into small pellets for use as a fertilizer ammendment.
Residents near the plant are concerned about odours and the potential for fires at the plant. "Sewage sludge can pose a fire hazard due to the tendency of sewage sludge pellets to go into spontaneous combustion if they become damp," says Maureen Reilly, sewage sludge expert with Sierra Club of Canada. "Toronto's sewage pellet plant and the Windsor pellet plant have had fires and explosion problems with their sludge pellet operations. Sewage sludge also contains high levels of heavy metals and dioxins, and when these burn, the resulting emissions can pose a serious risk to human health. Where will these pellets be stored?"
Other concerns about sewage sludge pellets relate to their use as fertilizer, since the sewage sludge pellets, which are made up of everything industry and the public put down a drain, normally have much higher levels of heavy metal contamination than manure or other fertilizers. " Hamilton sewage sludge has about 1,350 parts per million copper, sometimes more than 1,800 parts per million, while manure has about 62 parts per million. Sludge pellets can lead to a build up of toxic metals in soil and food," Reilly explains.
When sewage sludge is applied to farm fields in its wet or sludge state, it is controlled as a waste material by the Ontario Ministry of the Environment. However, once the sewer sludge is dried into pellets, it may be considered a 'product' by the Province who leave it to be regulated by the federal Fertilizer Act.
"There is a real disjunction between federal and provincial law. These pellets can slip through holes in the regulatory framework," explains Reilly. "The wet sewage sludge is regulated as a waste and can only be applied once every five years in Ontario, so that the heavy metals and chemicals don't build up rapidly in the receiving soil. However, if the same sludge is dried, there is no regulatory agency that can prevent its application every year, or prevent dumping on farm fields. Who will be checking to see if receiving farms or gardens exceed the contaminant criteria in the Contaminated Site Guidelines?."
Other cities that have tried making sewage sludge pellets found there is no market for the final product. Smith Falls has stopped making pellets, and the City of Toronto, after spending millions of dollars on building the pellet plant now has to pay a company more than $13 per tonne to take the pellets off their hands.
"Who exactly is in the market for contaminated fertilizer?" asks Maureen Reilly. "Why charge the taxpayer to dry sludge into a 'product' with lower levels of farm nutrient than the original sludge? What farmer will pay for 'dried sludge fertilizer' when they can get wet sludge for free from a municipal sewage treatment plant?"
Recently a report from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency showed that dioxin contamination in Canadian food is much higher than food in Europe. "Using sewage sludge and sewage sludge pellets on farms, home gardens, and grazing land can lead to higher levels of chemicals in our food, particularly meat and milk," says Reilly.
American Water Works is holding a tour of the proposed sludge drying plant tonight from 6:30pm to 8:30 pm at the Thermo Tech plant in East Hamilton (across from SWARU)
American Water Services has not yet applied to the Ontario Ministry of the Environment to dry sludge at the plant.
For more information contact:
Maureen Reilly
Sierra Club of Canada
Eastern Ontario Chapter
Water Quality Coordinator
416 922-4099
Pellets may be a risk to neighbourhood and food chain
The controversial waste drying plant Thermo Tech in Hamilton is being proposed for drying sewage sludge into pellets. The plant, which was formerly used for drying food waste into animal feed was plagued with odour complaints and fires, closed last September. Now American Water Services is proposing to use the facility to dry sewage sludge into small pellets for use as a fertilizer ammendment.
Residents near the plant are concerned about odours and the potential for fires at the plant. "Sewage sludge can pose a fire hazard due to the tendency of sewage sludge pellets to go into spontaneous combustion if they become damp," says Maureen Reilly, sewage sludge expert with Sierra Club of Canada. "Toronto's sewage pellet plant and the Windsor pellet plant have had fires and explosion problems with their sludge pellet operations. Sewage sludge also contains high levels of heavy metals and dioxins, and when these burn, the resulting emissions can pose a serious risk to human health. Where will these pellets be stored?"
Other concerns about sewage sludge pellets relate to their use as fertilizer, since the sewage sludge pellets, which are made up of everything industry and the public put down a drain, normally have much higher levels of heavy metal contamination than manure or other fertilizers. " Hamilton sewage sludge has about 1,350 parts per million copper, sometimes more than 1,800 parts per million, while manure has about 62 parts per million. Sludge pellets can lead to a build up of toxic metals in soil and food," Reilly explains.
When sewage sludge is applied to farm fields in its wet or sludge state, it is controlled as a waste material by the Ontario Ministry of the Environment. However, once the sewer sludge is dried into pellets, it may be considered a 'product' by the Province who leave it to be regulated by the federal Fertilizer Act.
"There is a real disjunction between federal and provincial law. These pellets can slip through holes in the regulatory framework," explains Reilly. "The wet sewage sludge is regulated as a waste and can only be applied once every five years in Ontario, so that the heavy metals and chemicals don't build up rapidly in the receiving soil. However, if the same sludge is dried, there is no regulatory agency that can prevent its application every year, or prevent dumping on farm fields. Who will be checking to see if receiving farms or gardens exceed the contaminant criteria in the Contaminated Site Guidelines?."
Other cities that have tried making sewage sludge pellets found there is no market for the final product. Smith Falls has stopped making pellets, and the City of Toronto, after spending millions of dollars on building the pellet plant now has to pay a company more than $13 per tonne to take the pellets off their hands.
"Who exactly is in the market for contaminated fertilizer?" asks Maureen Reilly. "Why charge the taxpayer to dry sludge into a 'product' with lower levels of farm nutrient than the original sludge? What farmer will pay for 'dried sludge fertilizer' when they can get wet sludge for free from a municipal sewage treatment plant?"
Recently a report from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency showed that dioxin contamination in Canadian food is much higher than food in Europe. "Using sewage sludge and sewage sludge pellets on farms, home gardens, and grazing land can lead to higher levels of chemicals in our food, particularly meat and milk," says Reilly.
American Water Works is holding a tour of the proposed sludge drying plant tonight from 6:30pm to 8:30 pm at the Thermo Tech plant in East Hamilton (across from SWARU)
American Water Services has not yet applied to the Ontario Ministry of the Environment to dry sludge at the plant.
For more information contact:
Maureen Reilly
Sierra Club of Canada
Eastern Ontario Chapter
Water Quality Coordinator
416 922-4099
posted by Sludge at 6:46 PM
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