The province's refusal to ban the spreading of treated Halifax sewage sludge on farmland is exposing Nova Scotians to untold health risks, says the Green party's agriculture critic.
"Sewage sludge does not belong on our dwindling farmland," said Anna-Maria Galante.
Ms. Galante was responding to Friday's news that the province had rejected a request from Kings County council to ban the spreading of treated Halifax sewage as a substitute for conventional fertilizer.
She said the Green party is calling on the province's health organizations to question the province's guidelines for the treatment of the sludge, which is collected from residential, hospital, industrial and commercial sources and street run-off.
"It's not that we oppose returning waste to the land," she said. "It's that our waste is toxic. We're not just talking about heavy metals. There are pharmaceutical residues and synthetic hormones that are going to end up in our food."
She said biosolids are being used as an alternative fuel source in other locales.
"In Malmo, Sweden, public transit is being run on biofuels generated from organic waste. That makes sense. Nova Scotia Power could be using biofuel instead of harvesting our forests for so-called biomass."
She said she is hoping that Kings County will join with other municipal units for a collective ban on biosolid fertilizer.
"The health concerns are paramount," she said. "Biosolids won't help the reputation of our struggling agriculture sector in the long run. And climate change and oil scarcity are making unspoiled farmland a precious commodity."
Kings County council last fall passed a motion to ban land application of the material, citing health concerns. Warden Fred Whalen wrote to Environment Minister Sterling Belliveau asking for a provincial moratorium until the county had more time to study the issue.
Greens Slam Nova Scotia on Biosolids
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Greens slam NDP on biosolids
Party condemns decision not to ban spreading of sewage on farmland
By Gordon Delaney
the Chronicle Herald, January 30, 2010
Straight to the Source
