If our sewage is used to fertilise fruit and vegetables, does it become toxic?

Question

Can we use plants and trees to filter pure water from domestic sewage? Could this be a more environmentally friendly way to process our waste?

Answer 1

xenobyte72, Vegetables and fruits as well as all plants filter the water perfectly. The roots take up only pure water and nutrient elements from the soil whether they are from human sewage or from organic compost, it's all the same to the plant.  It does not affect the taste or nutritional value of the fruit or vegetables.  The problem we have been running into is that when sewage is applied it can get on the vegetables, either directly or from rain splatter.  Then the fruits or veggies are eaten without properly washing them first.  You pick up a bunch of lettuce in the grocery never suspecting that it was grown with sewage or raw animal manure, give it a quick rinse and then you get sick from it. But nature does a perfect job of letting nothing but pure water into the plant.

Answer 2

actually, if we use the wasate from the seward, they will all die due to the high bacteria rates and toxic. but however, like every other animals, human wastes(except urine which contains urea, kills plants) can be used to fertilize plants, its just that we are too concern with the word "p**p"....but wasates provide many nutrients that aare bad to humans but great for plants.

it is possible to to process water in plants, but how can we retrieve the water, and it would be a very slow process

Answer 3

Yes you will make use all die.

Answer 4

Radioactive maybe?

I can't say for sure.

But I do not reccomend it.

Answer 5

Human waste is illegal to use on human consumable foods, I would hope. At least it is in my state. However waste, whatever the source is not directly put on foods such as vegetables, and fruits. It usually applied during the non-growth season to fertilize the soil. During this time if the waste did happen to contain bacteria it should break down from the bacteria in the soil. Most farmers will crank the acidity up anyways with urea and that should wipe out most harmful bateria.

Answer 6

Process waste and save nutrients.  In the wild animals just poo on the ground, fertilizing nearby plants.  Humans dump all their waste in the oceans and then wonder why agricultural lands are nutrient-depleted, and why there are red tide blooms on the coast of heavily populated regions.

Answer 7

Yes, toxic and biological hazard

Answer 8

No, they just taste like s**t.

Answer 9

Sorry to say but no...people throw a lot of chemicals down the drain every day if those are given to plants they will die probably 99% of them at least....also there are a lot of highly water soluble chemicals that people throw out down the drain just because of lack of information....there are sewage cleaning stations where water if filtered in the best way known so far

Answer 10

No, and yes.  It's too broad a question.  There may be toxic things in the sewage, but ideally, not.  Isn't fish emulsion or horse manure best?

Yes, I might highly suggest using plants and trees in the filtration process, then again, I really don't know nothing.  

Keep up the research and watch out for biased claims.

Wow, Texas R knows what's up!  But what about people who eat raw fruits and veggies?

Answer 11

The fruit of plants grown in supernatant from human waste is no different that the harvest from any other manure, in fact in a field in England, cows were allowed to graze in one of these fields, (this was about 30 years ago) the incidence of TB in these cows was significantly reduced. I some extremely hot and humid climates there could possibly be some adverse affect but they occur anyway naturally nitrification looks after this nitrate to nitrite to nitrogen- a gas.   It is just a stigma about human waste because of the typhoid epidemics. these were caused by the streets being used as sewers, the bacteria became anaerobic and this is the more harmful to living things, it is usually contained under the soil and aerobic bacteria much less harmful usually dwell on the surface if there is no soil and aerobic bacterias  things get nasty quickly

Answer 12

Our sewage is treated and only spread on land which is used for cattle, never used for fertilizing fruit and veg.

Answer 13

Land farming of urban/suburban waste has been practiced a while.  When treated in a safe and efficient manner, it is a practical way to dispose of part of the waste produced.  Many issues do exist with the application of waste, and the use of raw sewage as a vegetable crop fertilizer is extremely unwise.  However, composted waste is being used with the production of livestock and human grain crops, especially if the waste is incorporated into the soil (the actual food portion of the crop doesn't come in physical contact with the waste).

I have advised several farmers on the use of urban wastes.  One of the most common issues is the over application of phosphorus.  The wastes tend to be applied in rates of multiple tons (5+) per acre.  This will frequently result in applications of 400+ pounds of P per acre.  This rate is in extreme excess of crop uptake and the resulting increase in plant available P leads to an increase of P pollution in surface waters.

A second issue may be increased levels of heavy metals in the soil.   This issue is usually monitored with an adequate soil testing program that allows use of the waste until heavy metal concentration reach threshold levels and the waste is subsequently not applied.

A short answer to  your question:

it's already being done, just with crops and plants that usually don't involve direct (uncooked) consumption by the consumer.