[USCC] Response to Chaney---- Open composting and disease vectors (Edo McGowan)

[frank]

Composters;

Edo wrote: (snip)

>Actually three subjects---flies----antibiotic resistance----and energy-------tie together rather nicely.
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Flies, (and dust)
This is a site specific problem and related to the operation of a 
compost facility. Perhaps people writing the book and teaching the 
Compost Facility Training courses could review this section and share 
ideas as to how to teach operators of compost facilities to prevent this 
from happening. .

Antibiotic resistance
This may occur due to the problem that sold is a lot of antibiotic soaps 
and cleaners that we really should not be using and doctors that 
prescribe antibiotics  unnecessarily. We really need to go into Home 
Depot, Safeways and general stores to remove these from the shelves and 
punish doctors and vets that over use then and have made some of our 
best medicines useless. A properly formulated and managed composting 
facility will  heat a pile to, hopefully, kill most of these and, if run 
till stabilized, will have a good chance to degrade these organics. At 
least composting will provide the best chance of reducing the risk.  So 
the people concerned with this would better help us by looking at the 
constituents and physical properties of all the organics destined for 
composting and work to put them together to formulate the best mixes 
through regulation. I suggest biosolids and wood chips to not be the 
'best mix'.

Energy from biosolids
Not sure how energy production will help. The heat produced is no where 
near as high as in composting to kill the pathogens, there is not the 
microbial diversity that is found in aerobic composting, much of the 
energy in the biosolids (available carbon) has already been used in the 
digestion process and you are left with a huge tank of water to dispose 
of. Perhaps the intention is to pass the problem on to others?


Frank


-- 
Frank Shields
Soil Control Lab
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Watsonville, CA  95076
(831) 724-5422 tel
(831) 724-3188 fax
frank at compostlab.com
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