Recycl ing Human Waste Gone Wrong
Polk County attempts to shut down a Florida plant
used to recycle human waste into soil.
BS Ranch and Farm, an East Lakeland recycling
company in Florida is facing legal action from Polk
County due to noxious odors that have
con tinuously gone unaddressed. The ranch is home
to recycled human waste, out - of - date foods, and
mulch, which they convert into soil then sold to
growers. A cease - and - desist order was issued,
demanding the plant stop production following
odor complaints. This order was ignored, with the company continuing "to accept hundreds of tons of
waste from an Orange County wastewater treatment plant." With the smell enveloping parts of the city
and county, commissioners will now file an injunction that will as a judge t o fully shut down the
operation. READ THE STORY
W EEKLY EDITION APRIL 5, 2017
Recycling Human Waste Done Right
A sewer plant in Green Bay, Wisconsin is constructing 120 - foot
tall biodigesters that will generate enough energy to run their
entire operation using waste.
Using a mixtu re of human feces, paper, and industrial
organic waste, NEW Water, a company located in Green
Bay, Wisconsin, will put their two, 65 - foot wide, 120 - foot tall
anaerobic biodigesters to use in order to produce methane.
This methane will be burned to produce electricity and
power for their wastewater treatment plant. As their Executive Director explains, this material, which
others consider waste, actually holds an "awful lot of value" in their company's case – in other words,
one man's toilet break will becom e NEW Water's treasure.
This green - friendly shift is projected to lower NEW Water's energy bill by 50%. Before this alternative
was proposed, the sewage treatment plant's infrastructure was clearly wearing out after 40 years of use.
Up until this point, the company would incinerate the solid waste on site and haul the leftover ash to a
landfill. However, they'll be hauling no more, thanks to the input of communities, businesses and
customers who all weighed in on potential upgrades for the plant. The $169 million "package of
improvements" should be completed by next summer, bringing NEW Water's plant into the future of
energy renewal. READ THE STORY
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