San
Francisco: Toxic Sludge Is Good For
You!
If someone were to begin marketing
toxic
sewer sludge as “high-quality,
nutrient-rich, organic” compost, he
or she
would likely be considered a crook
and
possibly sued for false advertising.
Unfortunately, this is what the city
of San
Francisco and Synagro, “the largest
recycler of organic residuals in the
United
States,” have begun doing to the
people of
San Francisco.
Most waste treatment facilities
across the
U.S. contract treatment and disposal
responsibilities to Synagro. Because
it is
no longer permissible to dump toxic
sewage
directly in the ocean, most of it
ends up
being reused on farm fields as
“fertilizer.” However, San Francisco
is
the first city to have launched an
aggressive public relations campaign
to
trick its citizens into thinking
that the
toxic sewage is an organic compost.
A 2008 issue of the magazine Organic
Style
named San Francisco’s mayor, Gavin
Newsom,
the “World’s Greenest Mayor.” It
lauded his many “green” initiatives
which include expanded recycling
programs,
green building programs, and energy
audits.