SEWERAGE SENT IN TO SEA IS WASTE OF FERTILISER

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 14, Issue 21, 5 August 1949, Page 4

SEWERAGE SENT IN TO SEA IS WASTE OF FERTILISER

“In sewage alone there is considerable waste, according to Dr J. K. Dixon,'chief soil chemist of the Soil Bureau, Department of Scientific and Industrial Research to the Beacon. Untreated organic material is discharged into the sea or into rivers by municipalities, and the greater part of this material is wasted in this way. If the boroughs and cities were to adopt more complete treatment of sewage their present population of about a million would produce at least 12,000* tons of sludge per annum (on dry solids basis). This sludge could be used directly as a fertiliser or could be used for composting with other waste material from towns.

If, however, there was a general adoption of sewage treatment together with refuse collection sorting, and composting, the million people would, according to the tentative figure put forward in the interim report of the Inter-Department Committee to study the utilisation of organic wastes, provide about 100,000 tons of compost; fertiliser per annum. In addition to this, many thousands of tons from industrial wastes could be obtained. In Experimental Stage Dannevi'rke Borough Council has for many years been carrying out experimental work on making composts from waste, and the Government has also given direct financial support for the- erection of a pilot plant in Auckland. It is hoped that much may be learnt from these experiments, but they are, of course, long term projects. The soil chemistry division of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research have made good progress in their part of the investigations (the suitability for composting of organic waste materials, the variations in composting methods, and the manurial value of the final product), but the full answer to the problem involves a considerable amount of investigations.