Biosolids

Safeguard Your Health: What the Public Needs to Know

Would you knowingly eat food, drink water or breathe air that contains toxic chemicals and microplastics linked to cancer that are contained in sewage sludge from Victoria, BC’s wastewater treatment plant?

Right now, forever chemicals, which true to their name last nearly forever in our environment, such as PFAS, and microplastics as well as PAHs, lead, mercury, dioxins, and pharmaceuticals are making their way into our air, water and soil through the bio-accumulation of tons of these toxic chemicals that remain in the sludge after the waste water from our homes, industry, businesses and health care facilities is processed.

Since 2022, the CRD plan was to use these dried biosolids as an alternative to fossil fuels in a cement plant, which is in keeping with a ban on the land application of biosolids the CRD Board passed in 2011. Instead, every day, 10 tons of toxic sludge, also known as “biosolids,” has been spread or buried at Victoria’s Hartland Landfill, where wind and rain erosion disperses these forever chemicals into the neighbouring farms, fields, forests and watersheds.

There is a strong triple bottom line business case for thermal conversion which the CRD needs to employ as it:

• creates a non-toxic biochar which is the desired end product as a result of thermally converting toxic biosolids into inert biochar – a new green industry;
• it’s a carbon free fuel source, not incineration, no pollution, low carbon footprint;
• a plant could be up and running within two years if treated as the emergency this is;
• thermal conversion can stop landfill expansion and convert ALL waste, not just biosolids, into fossil fuel free energy and save our waters, soil, trees, fish, our health and the beauty of the region and why so many people chose to live and visit here.

Solutions Exist! Learn More Here:

Biosolid Free BC on Facebook
Butchart Gardens
Mount Work Coalition
Raincoast Conservation Foundation
Sierra Club

Take action by letting the CRD know you oppose the land application of biosolids by emailing: crdboard@crd.bc.ca

More About Biosolids

Further Reading

Legal action could end use of toxic sewage sludge on US crops as fertilizer – The Guardian

3M to pay at least $10.3B to settle ‘forever chemical’ drinking water lawsuits in U.S. – CBC News

Sludge compost is an increasing source of microplastics, researchers say – Los Angeles Times

Proposed PFAS National Primary Drinking Water Regulation – EPA

EPA sets ‘groundbreaking’ limits on toxic ‘forever chemicals’ in drinking water – The Guardian

Texas farmers claim company sold them PFAS-contaminated sludge that killed livestock – The Guardian

Academic Studies

Campanale et al. A Detailed Review Study on Potential Effects of Microplastics and Additives of Concern on Human Health, 2020

George Heyman SCBC Letter, CRD Env Comm, 2011

IOPA Biosolids letter, 02-10-20

Maine passes first PFAS biosolids ban, taking stand against forever chemicals, 2022

Maler, An Overview of the Dangers of Sewer Sludge (Biosolids)

Pozzebon & Seifert, Emerging environmental health risks associated with the land application of biosolids- a scoping review, 2023

Sajjad et al, Microplastics in the soil environment- A critical review, 2022

Tom Maler technical analysis – sewage sludge contamination

UVic Environmental Law Society Biosolids Update for CRD, 10-30-13