[quote name="Clackamas Coot" post="20939260" timestamp="1416238209"] Solo Perdue AgriRecycle - microSTART 60 an microSTART 60 Plus Perdue AgriRecycle, LLC, the first-ever, large-scale litter-pelletizing operation, is located in Sussex County, Delaware, centered in one of the country's most-concentrated areas of poultry production. While the close proximity of hundreds of poultry farms ensures a steady supply of raw material, the plant's location also demonstrates Perdue Incorporated's commitment to the family farm and the environment. Perdue Incorporated invested more than $13 million in Perdue AgriRecycle because many Delmarva poultry producers - especially those with smaller farms - needed an alternative to traditional land application of poultry litter. Perdue AgriRecycle provides that alternative, and helps to protect the waterways of the Chesapeake Bay and coastal inland bays. Perdue AgriRecycle can process the equivalent of 400 poultry houses worth of litter each year. Perdue AgriRecycle also participates in litter relocation programs, further reducing excess nutrients on the Delmarva Peninsula. Thanks Coot. I have been over their website so I get the idea but I was wanting opinions from the organic freaks around here. I'm a typical gullible consumer and find myself buying the wrong stuff all the time. My concern would be the antibiotics and hormones given to the chickens. I sent a final email and point blank asked "so no sewage sludge?" He actually called me and left a voicemail so I'm going to call him back in a bit. When we talk biosolids we are talking HUMAN SHIT right? If it's really just cow shit, chicken shit, and bio char how would you feel about it. Sorry if these questions are basic or obvious Thanks Solo
Solo From EPA - Water: Sewage Sludge (Biosolids) - FAQ If it were me then I would pass but others would not. Even with EPA's sugar-coating on this isn't all that reassuring and this agency is known for it's ability to confuse issues but there isn't much wiggle room on this subject from my perspective. HTH CC
Biosolids is the Orwellian PR euphemism for toxic sewage sludge. The name was created and chosen in a PR contest by the lobby association for sewage industry, the Water Environment Federation (WEF). For more background see also The EPA's plan to bypass opposition to sewage sludge disposal and You say biosolids, I say sewage sludge. There is now a SourceWatch Portal on "Biosolids" Beyond biosolids, the sewage sludge industry now puts its waste product into bags labeled "compost" and promotes them through US Composting Council, BioCycle and other front groups and partners. Beginning in the 1990's the WEF, with the active encouragement and approval of the Environmental Protection Agency, pushed for the disposal of sewage sludge on farm land after bans were imposed on dumping it in the ocean or incinerating it. The name change of sewage sludge to "biosolids" was crucial the image makeover for sewage sludge, a classic industry-government campaign of greenwashing to change the public perception of toxic sewage sludge from an accurate one of "hazardous waste" to the misleading image of biosolids representing safe "beneficial reuse," responsible "recycling" and healthy "organic fertilizer," lately including the ruse of sewage sludge as "organic compost." \nA list of just some of the hazardous chemicals and pathogens found in sludge can be found in the article Sludge contaminants. \nSludge contaminants include Dioxins and Furans, Flame Retardants, Metals, Organochlorine Pesticides, 1,2-Dibromo-3-Chloropropane(DBCP), Naphthalene, Triclosan, Nonylphenols, Phthalates, Nanosilver, and thousands more substances. "Sewage is the mix of water and whatever wastes from domestic and industrial life are flushed into the sewer. ... We must note that, though the aim of sewage treatment is to produce clean water, it is never to produce 'clean' sludge. Indeed, the 'dirtier' the sludge - the more complete its concentration of the noxious wastes - the more the treatment has done its job. ... very waste produced in our society that can be got rid of down toilets and drains and that can also be got out of the sewage by a given treatment process will be in the sludge. Sludge is thus inevitably a noxious brew of vastly various and incompatible materials unpredictable in themselves and in the toxicity of their amalgamation, incalculably but certainly wildly dangerous to life." <sup>[1]</sup>
Just spoke to the guy on the phone. Aside from him being a dick he gave me some good info. Harvest has 2 divisions, an energy division and a horticulture division. The energy division processes biosolids but not the horticulture division. He assured me the only ingredients in the compost is what he listed and became somewhat defensive about it. Solo
If we were only talking about human waste that would be a blessing compared to what qualifies as 'biosolids' under EPA rules. Waste water from seafood processors? Ever been near a packing house operation? But even that isn't close to the worst of the worst in this discussion. CC
The EPA has their own agenda and if anything gets *protected*, it's usually an accident. They protect the $$$$ from the various lobby's as job #1. Wet
What about anaerobic smells? The main reason I've been looking so hard at the harvest compost is because the last few bags of COM I got were pretty wet and smelled anaerobic. I kinda assume it's like anaerobic soil tho...let it air out and the aerobic microbes will take over. Am I on the right track? Solo
I know it's not good to put citrus in the worm bin, but what about juicer SCRAPS that contain citrus, but are primarily veg' and other fruits?
I think you can put citrus in and the worms will just avoid it until the limonene breaks down. From what i've read, limonene is supposed to break down within 2 or 3 weeks, but don't quote me on that. I think what I would do if I had to add it to my worm bin is put it off to one side of the bin so the worms can avoid it until it's ready for them to process. If you mix it all around you might have problems. Can you compost it first?
Waktoo, I've thrown nasty citrus into my bin with no problems. Those green, chemically smelling oranges that escape detection in the fridge until the tell tale odor alerts you..........I have 12sq/ft of area in my bin so the worms do avoid as Doc said above. I don't make a practice of it as I like to eat my oranges, but I think you'll be safe.
Where the problem can arise is from the fungicide and pesticide compounds found in the citrus skins. It's not going to wipe out the worm population but it does slow things up in and around where the skins are placed. Meaning don't dump them in a pile but distribute them around the surface. Grinding them first then soaking in water will help release them and once they're in the water these terpenes and terpenoids are subject to the 'laws of the universe' and they will degrade to their base elements of Carbon, Hydrogen and Oxygen. HTH CC
got this email from old unc Jim with a nice 20% off code if anyone is needing worms.. [SIZE=16pt]Save 20% off[/SIZE] any purchase at Uncle Jim's Worm Farm. It's our gift to you this holiday season. Enter coupon code UNCLE20 at checkout. Coupon expires at midnight on Monday, December 1st. http://unclejimswormfarm.com/
Question here. If you can't find quality compost or manure what would be the best alternative? Peat, coco, not so good quality bagged manure from box store?
Many thanks brother! I'm not a huge fan of Ol' uncle, but thinking of starting a new project out and thanks to you scored 5000 worms for $75 inc shipping! Sweet! .... Just in time too as in another week or so it will IMO be too cold to ship safely. This was exactly the motivation I needed to finally start up a bigger vermicompost system. Oh! ..... And have a grateful and Happy Thanksgiving! OC
Good question. I'm hoping that someone will answer this from the "if you can't find quality compost or manure" perspective. I was reading a bit on the subject of using worms for soil remediation. Now....I'm baked as hell right now so don't beat me down folks if this sounds dumb. BUT....I've read some stuff about worms being used to work material ranging from bio solids to soil outside of Chernobyl. Now I'm not eatin Chernobyl grown tomatoes.....I don't care how many people eat em (if they do). My point (or question) is this.... If worms can be used for stuff like that, wouldn't it make sense for somebody let worms work a bag of mediocre compost to make it much better? I realize that the finished product is still not going to be anything close to top notch vermicompost. FWIW, peat and coco are not compost/vermicompost alternatives.
IMO, if you take less than quality compost/manure or whatever and amend it yourself and add it to your worm bin, you will wind up with some pretty good shit. I mean, how could you not?
I think it really boils down to how biologically active your bedding material is to begin with. Mediocre compost is just that. Mediocre. It's not built well, and does not contain a balanced C:N ratio for composting. The C:N ratio is just as important for proper nutrient sequestration in thermophilic composting as it is in mesophilic worm composting. With regards to this subject, 'Coot has remarked many times that "garbage in/garbage out" always applies. If you've started with a poor bedding/food source material, no amount of worms is going to increase the actual nutrient profile of the finished "vermicompost". The grand majority of commercially available bagged composts are made mostly of high carbon materials... Top notch vermicompost is why we go through the added trouble of producing compost to bed the worms in. Otherwise, why not buy one of the myriad versions of bagged worm castings that are commercially available?