Biosolids

EPA has published national regulations dealing with municipal sludge. The focus of these regulations is on toxics, pathogens, and "vectors" (flies, mosquitoes, rodents, and other carriers of disease).

Sewage sludge can be disposed of in landfills, lagoons, incinerated, or land applied to serve as a soil enhancer or fertilizer. Land application of sewage sludge is often done on parks, golf courses, abandoned mines, and construction site restoration. It can also be Applied to crops, including crops for human consumption.

The sludge program is designed to encourage communities to keep levels of contaminants in their sludge as low as possible. The cleaner a city's sludge is, the fewer are the federal limitations on disposal and use.

EPA Biosolids Webpage