in the spring our county landfill gives away compost. part of what they use is sludge from the sewage plant, this does not sound good for health reasons. my neighbor across the street used some in his garden a couple of years ago and had a great garden! maybe my health concerns are unfounded?!?!

I agree with you! I would be less concerned with the possibility of diseases from human waste(although that's bad enough) than I would with chemical residuals of whatever people put down their drain or flushed down their toilet. Is there any information on the testing they've done to the sludge to let consumers know what it may be comprised of? I would stick with compost that you are comfortable with, even though free is a very good price!
Keli

I would not use landfill compost if it has been mixed with sludge. I work with sewage sludge so I know 1 or 2 things. The sludge not only contains pathogens, which may not be destroyed by the composting process, but it also contains anything that gets dumped or spilled down a drain. Think about things like household chemicals, engine oil, antifreeze. You name it. I use pelletized sludge on my lawn and shrubs, which has been cooked at 300 degrees. Pathogens and contaminants are burned away, but I still won't use it on my vegetable garden. Better safe than sorry.

I don't even like to use store-bought bagged compost. I KNOW what's in MY homemade compost. I never have enough of it, but I try hard to get by with what my 3 huge outdoor compost piles & 1 small vermicomposter produce. As far as knowing someone who uses this sludge-compost having a beautiful garden,...so do folks who use Round-Up, & Brush-B-Gone, & Miracle Grow, etc. have beautiful-looking gardens. Can't judge a garden by beauty alone.

For certified organic gardens sludge is a big NO NO. Not because of the human waste but because there is no way to know what else is in the sludge. The Municipalities generally will not source where all the ingredients come from and one of the basic tenets of organic growing is knowing The who, what and where's of everything that goes into your soil.

FYI the fertilizer Milorganite is sludge from Milwaukee, WI. I don't know if they still advertise this stuff as organic but they sure used to even though it was (and still is) a prohibited substance for use on certified organic land.

Another problem with municipal compost is it tends to be full of herbicides, etc. from all the chemical lawn waste.

Thanks everyone for the input!-toad

Dear Lucy,
I've only been trying to live organicaly for 2 years. I have relied on municipal compost in that time, but only used it on lawn, flowers and shrubs. Kept it off the veggie garden because of the possible pesticides. Now I won't buy it at all but will rely on grass clippings and leaf mould mulch. I have a small compost bin that is usually maxed out. I have to use a plastic garbage can as a supplement. Now that everything is frozen here in Windsor the composting action has all but stopped. I always have uncomposted material is in the spring. Like you, MY compost is the only thing that goes on my veggies. I'm also reconsidering the use of the sludge pellets my employer makes. (refer to my previous reply above)
There could be trace metals left over that aren't good for any one either. Who knows? I don't get to see lab results. Happy gardening.
Scott

"Can't judge a garden by beauty alone" -- I LOVE IT! I must have the MOST beautiful garden of all!! (weeds, bugs, cat droppings, etc., etc...)