L.A. Green Bean

The mayor of the San Francisco gets kudos for dumping toxic sludge on SF farmland? No where else but America!

No joke, toxic sewage sludge, the stuff that used to (and still does) make beaches and beachgoers sick, is now finding its way into the backyards of San Francisco residents. Passed off as compost, the sludge may be coming to a town near you.

From the Organic Consumers Association:

In 2008, Organic Style Magazine called San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom the World's Greenest Mayor, complementing his initiatives on recycling, green building, low-emission vehicles, and energy audits, among many unique innovations he has brought to the city.

But the true test of a green city may be what happens to its toxic sewage sludge. San Francisco - like just about every other city in the country - contracts with a sewage sludge disposal company (Synagro) to take its sludge away. Now that it can't be dumped in the oceans, most of it is dumped on farmland. The law actually allows toxic sewage sludge to be used to grow food! It's so common and accepted, in fact, that the Organic Consumers Association had to fight hard to keep toxic sludge out of federal organic standards (this was back when Obama's favorite pesticide lobbyist, Islam Siddiqui, proposed organic standards for the Clinton administration).

The thing that distinguishes San Francisco from other cities dumping sludge on farmland is that it is the first and only city to launch an aggressive PR offensive around getting their citizens to take some of their toxic sludge back. The way they manage to do this is by giving it away to San Francisco's gardeners, claiming that it is "high-quality, nutrient-rich, organic Biosolids Compost."

If the World's Greenest Mayor can get away with this, watch out, because there's no telling what the toxic sludge industry will do in your town!

That's why we're putting out a national call to all of our members and readers to encourage organic consumers across the country to help us stop San Francisco's toxic sewage sludge giveaways. Please take action today.

Organic Consumers Association

Photo Source: Indy Bay