LET’S KEEP VERMONT GREEN
Biosolids
What are biosolids?
Where does dirty water go?
Whether your waste goes to a septic system or a community wastewater treatment facility, the goal is the same: to remove pollutants before the water is returned to the environment.
Septic Systems: When septic tanks are pumped, the septage is either land-applied, taken to a treatment facility, or disposed of at a certified facility.
Treatment Facilities: Wastewater from homes, businesses, and industries is treated through primary and secondary processes to remove organic matter and disinfect the water before it is released into local waterways.
Contaminants of Concern: PFAS A major focus of the current State Materials Management Plan (MMP) is the reduction of “forever chemicals” known as PFAS. These chemicals are found in many household products (like non-stick cookware, stain-resistant carpets, and certain cleaners). Because wastewater treatment plants are not designed to remove PFAS, these chemicals can end up in biosolids.
The best way to keep our soil and water clean is to prevent these chemicals from entering the waste stream in the first place.
How is the water at a waste water treatment plant treated?
Waste water treatment plants incorporate a series of processes to try to remove pollutants from water used in homes, small businesses, industries, and other facilities. All wastewater goes through a primary treatment process, which involves screening and settling out large particles. During treatment, solid, semi-solid, and liquid residues, or sludges/ biosolids, are removed from the wastewater. Sludges/ biosolids may be composted, land applied, incinerated, or landfilled.
The wastewater then moves on to the secondary treatment process where organic matter is removed by allowing bacteria to break down the pollutants.
The treated wastewater is then usually disinfected with chlorine to remove the remaining bacteria.
Some communities go one step further and put the wastewater through an advanced treatment process to reduce the level of pollutants of special concern to the local waterbody, such as nitrogen or phosphorus.
What happens to the treated water when it leaves the wastewater treatment plant?
The treated wastewater may be released into local waterways where it is used again for any number of purposes, such as supplying drinking water, irrigating crops, and sustaining aquatic life. Contaminants of Concern: PFAS A major focus of the current State Materials Management Plan (MMP) is the reduction of “forever chemicals” known as PFAS. These chemicals are found in many household products (like non-stick cookware and certain cleaners). Because wastewater treatment plants are not designed to remove PFAS, these chemicals can end up in biosolids. The best way to keep our soil and water clean is to prevent these chemicals from entering the waste stream by choosing PFAS-free products and disposing of hazardous waste properly.
What Can You Do to Protect Local Waterways and the Environment?
Wastewater treatment facilities are designed to treat organic materials, not hazardous chemicals. To protect local waterways and the quality of biosolids, please follow these guidelines:
Don’t pour it down the drain: Keep household cleaners, beauty products, automotive fluids, paint, and lawn care products out of the sewer and septic systems.
Dispose of HHW properly: Bring hazardous chemicals to a SWAC-sponsored Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) event.
No Medications: Never flush expired or unused medications. Use a local “Drug Take-Back” location or a SWAC collection event.
No Motor Oil: Used motor oil can kill the beneficial bacteria used in the treatment process and contaminate local water and soil.
PFAS & Biosolids A major focus of the current State Materials Management Plan (MMP) is the reduction of “forever chemicals” known as PFAS. These chemicals are found in many household items like non-stick cookware and certain cleaners. Because standard wastewater treatment is not designed to remove PFAS, they can end up in biosolids. The best way to keep our soil and water clean is to prevent these chemicals from entering the drain in the first place by choosing PFAS-free products and disposing of hazardous waste at SWAC events.
Choosing Wisely
Adopt a new way of thinking about hazardous household products. Try to buy less or use non-hazardous products as much as possible. The best way to tell if a product is hazardous is to read the label.
DANGER indicates the product is extremely hazardous: a taste could be fatal. WARNING and CAUTION signal a somewhat lesser hazard. Select products with a CAUTION label over those with WARNING or DANGER. The best selection is one with no hazards.
Plan Ahead: Now that you know the possible dangers of disposing of HHW improperly, try to identify any products you may have that need to be disposed of properly.