Dillo Dirt vs. Regular Compost
What is Dillo Dirt?
Introduced in 1989, Dillo Dirt is an Austin, Texas creation used for gardening and landscaping. Like commercial compost, it contains woodchips and sawdust. However, there’s a lot of arguable health risk associated with using Dillo Dirt, because it’s actually produced from sewage. The production involves composting sewer and run-off sludge at a temperature high enough to kill harmful pathogens. Motivated by the EPA to dump less waste into local waterways, Austin was the first city to implement a program of this kind. Ever since, several other cities nationwide have gotten into the business of composting and selling their sewage.
Using Dillo Dirt vs. Traditional Compost:
Surprisingly, Dillo Dirt isn’t cheaper than compost or manure; they’re about the same price. A comparison of its fertilizer content against traditional compost shows Dillo Dirt to be two to three times richer in nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Dillo Dirt is known to help grass grow especially well because of its high nitrogen content.
Pollutants and Potential Risks:
The US EPA has determined that Dillo Dirt is safe for growing anything including vegetables. Each of the ten pollutants that are tested for have shown to be below their per-chemical limit allowed for, “unrestricted,” use. However, there are tens of thousands of harmful chemicals which are very likely to show up in Dillo Dirt. One 2003 Dillo Dirt test sample revealed toxic byproducts of petroleum and plastic.
Lack of Control over Ingredients:
Commercial and home composters alike have complete control over what they compost and what they wish to discard elsewhere. We can know that a specific compost source is safe and healthy for our vegetable garden because we know that only safe and healthy things were put into it. These ingredients play a huge role in the final content and quality of any compost. For this reason, there is a major problem with composting sewage: We don’t know what the ingredients are, and the composting process doesn’t get rid of them. Everything from pills that have been flushed down the toilet to industrial waste is present in sewage. These toxins exist in Dillo Dirt as well, as confirmed by independent tests.
The Possibility of Pathogen Re-growth:
The US EPA has concluded that under wet conditions, products like Dillo Dirt are capable of undergoing explosive pathogen re-growth. Such incidents result in hazardous conditions for exposed individuals. Dillo Dirt is a perfect food source for dangerous microbes. Although the composting process is supposed to remove the biohazard, this may only be temporarily effective. According to peer-reviewed studies, it’s possible that dangerous pathogens can easily be reintroduced to Dillo Dirt after the composting treatment. Dillo Dirt may in fact be relatively safe, but the unknowns are far from comforting.
Peter Wendt write, researches and maintains three acres of land in Austin, TX. He’s tried everything under the sun to keep his lawn looking pristine and encourages his loyal readers to visit http://austinmulchandmore.com for more information