Sue Smith-Heavenrich reprint rights
115 Hubbard Hill about 1150 words
Candor, NY 13743 copyright 2004
(607) 659-3022
in press: “Organic Farms, Folks & Foods”, a publication of NOFA-NY
When “Organic” Compost Isn’t
by Sue Smith-Heavenrich
What’s the difference between “100% organic compost” and compost that is organic? If you’re a home gardener
looking at bags of soil amendments on the garden center shelf, the “organic” label means only one thing: this stuff is
good for the soil and therefore good for you. But if you look on the back of the package, and happen to have a
magnifying lens handy, you might be surprised to find that many of these “natural organic fertilizers” are composed of
“biosolids”, a fancy name for processed sewage sludge.
Don’t Judge Compost by the Packaging
According to Charlotte Hartman of the National Sludge Alliance, a number of commercial bagged fertilizer
blends and compost mixes use sludge, often without clearly identifying it as a sludge product to the consumer. They
go by such earth-friendly names as “Earthlife”, “EKO Compost”, “SoilRich”, and “ERTH food”.
While a sludge-based fertilizer cannot be labeled “Organic” – sludge is excluded from the National Organic
standards – it can still wear the “natural organic nitrogen” label. Pack it up in earthy colors, add a recycling symbol,
photo of mother and child in the garden, and a large golden seal from the US Composting Council, and you can
confuse even the professionals.
Though “SoilRich” literature is clear about the product, stating that it is a “type A exceptional quality biosolid”,
the labeling is confusing enough to get the product listed under the “organic gardening” section on one gardening
website. According to ERTH products literature, “This wastewater residue is combined with other organic waste
products, such as peanut hulls, and then converted into a 100% natural organic fertilizer and soil amendment.”
On their website, EKO Compost claims that “EKO compost is the original organic compost” and “helps promote rich
organic soil.” It’s not until you scroll down a ways that you discover “every batch of EKO compost … meets and
exceeds all process and product standards including the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s class A
‘Exceptional Quality’ compost, good for unrestricted use including food crops …”
Nowhere do they spell out that “class A exceptional quality compost refers to a sewage sludge product. Unlike other
producers, EKO Systems makes a point of not mentioning “biosolids” or “sewage sludge” anywhere in their PR.
Then there’s Milorganite. Since the advent of the National Organic standards, Milorganite’s packaging has changed.
Now the bags are labeled “organic nitrogen” and if you know where to look, you can see that the bag is clearly
stamped, “nutrients derived from sewage sludge.”
Milwaukee also packages “Garden Care.” Like Milorganite, this product is derived from sewage sludge, but you’d
never guess by the package. “For better results,” it says. “Naturally.” There’s a photo of a smiling child, maybe six
years old, trowel in hand, and his mother beaming at him as they admire the flowers and vegetables in their garden.
“We cannot call ourselves ‘organic fertilizer’, but we are an organic nitrogen fertilizer,” says Mike Archer who works in
Market Development at the company. While he and others in the industry are clear on this distinction, the similar
language may confuse consumers.
Safe Enough to Serve as a Vegetable Side Dressing?
The folks in the biosolids industry argue that their products are “safe”. Bagged composts and soil amendments
derived from sewage sludge must meet “strict EPA standards”, they say. But the standards aren’t all that strict,
compared to other developed nations, and folks who’ve become ill from using the products argue that sludge compost
can outright hurt you.
Take Debbie Blum, a groundskeeper for an upscale Inn and golf course in Leavenworth, WA. Her job was to prune
shrubs, plant thousands of flowers on the hotel balconies, weed and maintain the flowerbeds on championship putting
course in addition to general up-keep of the grounds. When a professional horticulturist suggested they apply
compost to help with the sandy soil, Debbie did some compost comparison.
“We got some literature from EKO, comparing their compost to others, and it looked good,” she said. “Plus,” she adds,
“they claimed it was 100% organic. It’s pretty pricy by the bag, but we could buy it bulk.” The Inn ordered 20 Tons and
in September 2003, Debbie and her fellow groundskeeper began applying the compost to the flowerbeds. The
compost was so dry that they mixed it with water in a wheelbarrow before shoveling it onto the beds.
“We got bloody noses and flu-like symptoms, but with the changing weather, we figured it was just a cold or the flu,”
Debbie said. The following June, when they began to weed those flowerbeds, Debbie again experienced bloody
noses. She also experienced headaches, clogged sinuses and wheezing. Over the days she noticed that she
fatigued easily. Then her hair began falling out in clumps, and her legs, face and arms began swelling.
She set up a doctor’s appointment, but before she could meet with him, she collapsed at work. “When I started getting
chest pains that morning I decided to quit. Walking towards the hotel I began to wheeze. I called my supervisor to tell
him I couldn’t breathe, and then I collapsed.”
By the time Debbie reached the hospital, a half mile away, her airways had collapsed. It was, the doctors told her, an
“allergy-induced asthma attack.” What was she allergic to? She mentioned the compost and they began checking for
mold, but that wasn’t the culprit.
Because she became ill anytime she worked where the compost was spread, Debbie could no longer work. Now, one
year later she works on an organic farm and eats healthy organic food. The compost on the farm and in her own
garden doesn’t trigger any attacks. Though she’s feeling healthier, she is still easily fatigued, and her hair continues
to fall out.
“I can’t go near an open bag of composted sludge,” she says, because she still experiences health problems. “Not
only that,” she adds, “petroleum products trigger a response. Things like gasoline, mineral spirits, oil based paints,
adhesives and exhaust fumes….”
Debbie isn’t the only one who’s been made sick by sludge – there’s 250 and the number is climbing. But she might be
the first who has become ill from a product that is EQ class A product packaged for distribution to end users such as
landscapers and home gardeners..
It’s Time for New Sludge Science
After a two-year study, the National Academy of Sciences determined that the EPA’s regulations were based on
outdated science. They recommended that the EPA use improved methods for assessing health risks. In addition,
notes the NAS, since the standards were put into effect new chemicals of concern have emerged – particularly
pharmaceuticals and organic chemicals.
In 2005 the EPA estimates that there will be 7.6 million dry tons of biosolids produced. Of this 45% (3.4 million dry
tons) will be land-applied and 13% (1 million dry tons) will go through further treatment as EQ composts. Some of this
compost may end up on a garden center shelf near you.
Sidebar (325 words):
Looking for a Seal of Approval
by Sue Smith-Heavenrich
Gardeners looking for organic compost want to know that the products they buy are free from pesticides,
herbicides, heavy metals, toxic waste, or sewage sludge. As compost producers have become more savvy with their
packaging designs, using earthy colors, recycling logos, and language that incorporates “natural” and “organic”, it
gets harder to tell which compost is “organic” and which is “Organic”.
Some compost products are beginning to carry the United States Composting Council Seal of Testing Assurance. This
means that the compost has been analyzed for pH, soluble salts, nutrients, organic matter, maturity and stability,
pathogens and trace metals. But even sewage sludge composts may qualify for that seal.
To help organic gardeners identify quality tested, organic composts, Rodale Organic Gardening has joined with
Woods End Laboratories in a partnership to test and label products with the “Rodale Organic Gardening Compost
Quality Seal.” To earn this seal, a compost product must undergo tests for maturity, nutrients and trace elements, pH,
carbon to nitrogen ratio, heavy metals, pesticide residues, weed seeds, pathogens and more.
Compost products that meet the high quality standards will be awarded the organic compost quality seal. In
addition, they will be identified for their best use, whether it is garden compost, potting mix, seed starter, topsoil blend,
mulch or fertilizer.
While Woods End Laboratories accepts and evaluates all types of composts, including those made from sewage
sludge, there will be no confusion regarding which are Organic amendments. The Rodale Organic Gardening
Compost Quality Seal guarantees consumers that the compost products “have been tested for herbicides, weed seeds
and contaminants.” Rodale will also post listings of these products on their website and in their publications.
None of this comes cheap, though. Compost producers will pay $950 for each batch of product that’s tested, plus
an additional $170 for a thousand seals to stick on the bags. You can get more information on this at www.woodsend.
org or at the Organic Gardening Magazine website.