Trash + Sewage = Green

Dumping sewage onto landfill trash sounds like a bad idea; one would think that combining the two waste streams would produce something even worse. Not so, says Viridis Waste Control LLC. They have developed a process that turns this unlikely combination into a green solution.

It turns out that you can make landfill garbage biodegrade more quickly when you over it with septage (the material that is pumped out of septic tanks… let’s not be any more specific). Faster garbage biodegradation means a longer lifetime for the landfill, which saves land which would otherwise be lost to landfill use.

This is also a better use for septage, which is often applied to agricultural fields. This can lead to contamination of crops, livestock, and the water table. The septage may also accelerate methane production, which is a benefit if the landfill is set up to capture landfill gases for power production.

Looks like sometimes two negatives really do make a positive.

Via GreenGeek