Reusing human excreta is an opportunity to create fertilizer and reduce greenhouse gases
(Human) waste not, want not
Science Societies
Dec 15, 2021
Excerpt:
The failure to recycle post-consumption nutrients is bad for health, the environment, and the economy. The greenhouse gasses released when excreta are landfilled contribute to climate change. It’s truly a waste not to reuse our – waste.
A new vision for the reuse of human waste was presented by Rebecca Nelson, Cornell University, at the 2021 ASA, CSSA and SSSA Annual Meeting. The title of Nelson’s talk, part of the Betty Klepper Lecture Series, was “The Soil Factory Network: Toward the Circular Bionutrient Economy.” The meeting was held in Salt Lake City, Nov. 7-10, 2021.
“I’m a plant pathologist,” says Nelson. “But it has really come home to me that plant health requires soil health. That led me to a focus on a circular economy for organic nutrients, including nutrients from food waste, before and after human consumption.”
“Climate change causes many problems, including floods and droughts. In many parts of the world, soils are depleted of nutrients and organic matter. Poor soil causes plant stress, which lowers yields and makes crops more prone to disease.”
