Ohio EPA may allow use of sewage ash as fertilizer

Ohio EPA officials are considering a proposal to change state rules on ash produced by municipal sewage incinerators, allowing it to be used as lawn fertilizer.

 

The proposal, which is still preliminary, would expand the state EPA's beneficial use program to allow certain industrial wastes to automatically qualify for other uses.

 

Currently, most cities dump their ash in landfills. A special permit must be obtained to use the ash, which can contain heavy metals, for other purposes, The Columbus Dispatch reported.

 

The city of Columbus mixes some of its ash into the compost it sells, but "[i]t has been a struggle" to obtain permits, Dax Blake, administrator for the city's Division of Sewerage and Drainage, told reporters.

 

"We feel like we could do more with (ash)," he said.

 

Officials at sewage treatment plants said the ash is safe for people, the article indicates.