Agenda - Council - 08/26/1980 - Laserfiche WebLink

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UTILIZATION OF SLUDGES AND OTHER SOLID WASTE RESIDUES Should slndge be land-spreaded~ co-composted or co-digested with solid wastes .as a disposal abatement strategy? Both composting and land-spreading of residual solids (sludge) from wastewater treatment plants in support of agriculture are methods of managing this material. Composting of vacuum filter sludge cake, like composting refuse, is an aerobic biological stabilization and drying process in which volatile wastewater solids are oxidized by biological action. The process generates heat that serves to accelerate the rate of stabilization, evaporate moisture, and kill or inactivate pathogens and parasites. The purpose of composting is the simultaneous reduction of moisture content and the stabilization of sludge to increase its acceptability for recycling to the land. Preliminary product market surveys indicate more than adequate demand for compost in the Metropolitan Area. Land-spreading of filter sludge cake could be conducted on land owned by the Metropolitan Waste Control Commission or on private land. With the increased use of land-spreading as a sludge management tech- nique, there has been an increased concern with the public health and aesthetic implications of this practice. To address these issues, the 1980 Waste Management Act requires the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency to submit a report on sewage sludge disposal to the legislative commission by January 1, 1981. The report is to recom- mend appropriate strategies, procedures and programs to abate potential health hazards resulting from sewage sludge disposal facilities.