Poo. Nature's Nutrition.

Pooh...Get it?

Okay we are not going to talk about the beloved bear. So yeah, you've guessed it! We are going to talk about our nasty little brown, smelly friend: POOP. Feces, doo-doo, number 2, it's all the same. Ever wonder what happens to it? Honestly, this has crossed my mind once or twice. Does it end up in some body of water or does it gather up in a huge pile in some unknown location? Actually to know what happens to it you have to know what poop's other name is. Our poop is also nicknamed "biosolid."

What is a biosolid? A biosolid is an organic material from our poop that is rich in nutrients essential for plant growth. That's right, our poop becomes fertilizer. A biosolid is actually our poop that goes through a careful treatment at wastewater facilities. Who knew that underneath all that beautiful green grass lies our poopy. But there is obviously some sort of trade-off here; there's the good and there's the bad...

THE PROS

So what do we get out of using our poo as fertilizer? Well for one thing, biosolids help improve and maintain healthy soil. Biosolids are able to hold more nutrients and water and can help avoid topsoil runoff. And all you gardeners and farmers know how annoying that can get during the rainy seasons. Biosolids are also rich in nitrogen and phosphorus, very essential elements in plant growth.

We all know what erosion is. For those who don't, it is when the land becomes dry and brittle and breaks apart. Well, with biosolids, you don't have that problem. The organic matter in biosolids helps soil particles bind together. With more soil bound together, the more water it is able to hold. This helps roots grow more and reduces drought.

Other than helping plants grow, biosolids have other benefits. There are communities that are slowly running out of landfills for their solid waste. When we recycle biosolids, we don't have to worry about disposing of them in landfills. Recycling biosolids can lower a community's waste disposal costs. CHA-CHING! $$$$$$

THE CONS

Keep in mind that these biosolids are our own waste, as in a product of going Number 2. So we are using our smelly deposits to help the environment. Although it helps plants grow, no one really wants to smell last night's dinner again.

Remember what was mention about biosolids having an abundant amount of nitrogen and phosphorus? Well too much of these can be dangerous if they are released into our waterways and other sources of water.

Biosolids can help in vegetation. Plants become really healthy and prosper. But honestly, do you really wanna eat something that was grown from your own poo?

Biosolids are a great way to help plants grow and prosper. Although they have benefits, we need to take some of the disadvantages into consideration. Considering our current agricultural methods, I think it would help make our lives easier. But nothing is perfect. We need to keep in minds the risks of using biosolids. I guess the bottom line is: USE BIOSOLIDS WISELY.

Works Cited List:

http://www.cwwa.ca/faqbiosolids_e.asp

http://www.biosolids.com/benefits.html

http://pubs.ext.vt.edu/452/452-304/452-304.html
http://www.your-healthy-gardens.com/fertilizers.html