what is milorganite made of

United States Environmental Protection Agency, "7, "Purification or Profit: Milwaukee and the Contradiction of Sludge, "Milorganite Reaches 9 Billion Pounds with 85 Years of Recycling", "Urban spelunking: Brewing up Milorganite", "The Lake Michigan Pollution Case: A Review and Commentary on the Limnological and Other Issues", "Environmental Draft Impact Statement: Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewage District; Water Pollution Abatement Program, No. Sludge and other biosolids cannot be used in certified organic agriculture. In fact, in both 2018 and 2019, Milorganite was in very short supply. Instead of plastic and glass, nutrients are recycled. It’s nature’s way of recycling. The concept was eventually rejected, and was never marketed to the public. E1S801072DB", "Using Milorganite to temporarily repel white-tailed deer from food plots", Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, "In Milwaukee History: Milorganite is made! To start with, Milorganite is a fertilizer made from treated sewage sludge in Milwaukee, Wisc. Milorganite can then be applied again at the end of May, around labor day, and in early October. [17] The brand was popularized during the 1930s and 1940s before inorganic urea became available to homeowners after WWII. So, the next time someone says, “Milorganite is a bag of poop!” you’ll be able to set them straight. These SGN 90 granules contain the same nutrients as Milorganite Classic, but the particles are small enough to fall into the canopy of close-cut turf. Milorganite is manufactured by the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District. Milorganite fertilizer is one of the oldest branded fertilizers on the market today. Cold season grasses. The material is then pelletized and marketed throughout the United States under the name Milorganite. Kids can play out on the lawn immediately after application. [6] The resulting production is among the largest recycling programs in the world. Wastewater enters the Jones Island water reclamation facility where all solid materials such as sand, boards, shop rags, plastic and debris are first removed. Here, they remove all the debris and add microbes. grass was cut at 4 inches and it was very hard to clean up. Instead of plastic and glass, nutrients are recycled. The seemingly unusual name for this product is a portmanteau of Milwaukee Organic Nitrogen. [19], Milorganite can be used without restriction on gardens growing food crops intended for human consumption under United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rules. Unlike the iron salts some fertilizers contain, Milorganite's iron is organically complexed and readily absorbed by your plants. Not everybody is evolving. Milorganite is one of the oldest branded fertilizers on the market. For example, there has been a substantial impact upon both the quality and the quantity of raw material available as a result of Milwaukee losing much of its malting and brewing industry through the departure of once-giant local concerns Schlitz Brewing Company and Pabst Brewing Company. It is made of feather meal, meat meal, bone meal, blood meal, and sulfate of potash. [3][9] As raising taxes for public health was relatively controversial in the early 1900s,[citation needed] producing an organic fertilizer as a means of partially offsetting its operating cost was proposed. For a shortage of nutrients: "[20][24] The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) certifies it as biobased because it is derived from 85% renewable materials. [4] Claims that Milorganite itself was a "natural, organic and/or safe" product were identified as a concern in 1992, when the Federal Trade Commission began an investigation saying the claim was deceptive. Milorgranite is another popular organic lawn fertilizer to consider if you make your mind to move from the chemical variants. Unlike the iron salts some fertilizers contain, Milorganite's iron is organically complexed and readily absorbed by your plants. Libraries, Turfgrass Information Center, www.lib.msu.edu/tgif. The stuff microbes can’t eat is removed, like plastic, shopping bags, sand, twigs, and other stuff that never should have been in there, to begin with. 260 W. Seeboth St. So, in the same sentence, you hear “sewerage” and “Milorganite.” People are bound to be confused. It’s composed of heat-dried microbes that have digested the organic matter in wastewater. 32–42. Milorganite and ironite are two reliable fertilizer we all have heard of. After settling, wastewater is treated with microbes to break down organic matter at the Jones Island sewage treatment plant (also called "Water Reclamation Facility") in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The byproduct sewage sludge is produced. Milorganite and ironite are two different lawn care fertilizers that are made … We all know what they are for and how they are used but newbies get confused as they both are 100% effective in doing their jobs. Milorganite is made using one of the nation’s oldest recycling efforts. After settling, wastewater is treated with microbes to break down organic matter at the Jones Island sewage treatment plant (also called "Water Reclamation Facility") in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. However, unlike what others say, it’s not made of human feces. It is composed of heat-dried microbes that have digested the organic matter in wastewater. Since its inception, over four million metric tons of Milorganite have been sold. Milorganite is a brand of biosolids fertilizer produced by treating sewage sludge by the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District. Share; Tweet; Pin; If you’re a lawn owner with the hopes of having a perfect picture-like lawn, you cannot run away from this one activity that I’ll be showing you in a short while. So while it's priced like inexpensive iron salts, Milorganite iron acts more like expensive synthetic chelates. However, unlike what others say, it’s not made of human feces. It’s a bag of microbes that ate well, died and were dried. Clean water is pumped back into Lake Michigan. Yep, the poop provides the nutrients. Milorganite is made of two different types of sludge: digested and waste-activated. These pools of churning water are murky, and tiny solids can be seen. It is NOT a bag of poop! It's made of the microbes that eat what we flush. So, you can imagine how eco-friendly it is. [34] The cost to the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District and tax payers was estimated as $4.7 million. It’s nature’s way of recycling. Milwaukee, WI 53204, © 2021 Milorganite. But think twice before you use that bag of Milorganite on your lawn or garden. [3][4] Rather than land filling solids left over from wastewater treatment, the sludge was used in a pioneering effort to make, distribute and sell fertilizer. Milorganite After waste water treatment, the water is removed and the waste is heated and dried, then made into small granules. By using our website you are consenting to our use of cookies in accordance with our cookie policy. Learn more here. And greening power is what your plants get from Milorganite—the fertilizer containing more than 4% iron. Seeking to associate itself with the "ecology kick", Milorganite's marketing staff considered the implications of "Milorganite-cide blends". 0 shares. Methane is recaptured and used to minimize energy costs. Milorganite is one of the oldest organic fertilizers you can get. The result is recycling of the nitrogen and phosphorus from the waste-stream as fertilizer. [7] The sale of product does not generate sufficient funds to cover the costs of manufacture, but the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District states that the environmental benefits are a legitimate offsetting consideration:[5][1], In addition to the conflicting financial and environmental goals, it has to cope with fluctuations and vagaries of a changing waste stream. Made in Milwaukee: Milorganite", "Soil Organic Matter with Organic Amendments: A resource for urban and rural gardeners, small farmers, turfgrass managers and large-scale producers", "Standards for the Use and Disposal of Sewage Sludge", "Fact Sheet 2006: Home Garden Use of Milorganite", "EPA derails plans to market Milorganite as deer repellent", "Biosolids: Targeted National Sewage Sludge Survey Report – Overview", "ISCORS Assessment of Radioactivity in Sewage Sludge: Recommendations on Management of Radioactive Materials in Sewage Sludge and Ash at Publicly Owned Treatment Works", "Land Application and Composting of Biosolids", "Milorganite Safety on Human Health and the Environment", "Chemicals in fertilizer shut parts of parks", "Land Application of Municipal Biosolids", "PFAS – More Than You Ever Wanted to Know and Then Some", "Per‐ and polyfluoroalkyl substances in commercially available biosolid‐based products: The effect of treatment processes", Washington State Department of Agriculture Fertilizer and Pesticide Database – "M", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Milorganite&oldid=994895577, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles with unsourced statements from February 2017, Articles needing more detailed references, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 18 December 2020, at 02:44. Milorganite is a fertilizer that is made from Milwaukee sewer sludge. Milorganite is a fertilizer that is made from Milwaukee sewer sludge. It is made of heat-dried microorganisms that feed on organic matter in wastewater. Milorganite, an organic nitrogen fertilizer, is a product that you’re likely to consider using on your lawn. [35] PCBs were banned from commerce in the US in the mid-1970s. Made from heat dried organic microbes that were used to treat wastewater in Milwaukee, Milorganite has been on the market since the 1920's and has a track record of success on golf courses, gardens, and home lawns. It is a slow-release nitrogen that contains iron, and provides beneficial nutrients to your soil. Milorganite is a brand of biosolids fertilizer produced by treating sewage sludge by the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District. [5] As of 2018, the plant produces in the range of 45,000–49,000 tons of Milorganite per year, which is roughly 2.4 million bags. Being close to the source, Milo is only $1/bag more expensive than the Menards fertilizer, and therefore Milo is the better buy for me. Milorganite is more like poop-adjacent. When and How to Use Milorganite on Your Lawn for Best Results. Milorganite is analyzed for at least 20 parameters every day to comply with all applicable. [7][8], Milorganite's roots began in 1911, when local socialist politicians were elected on a platform calling for construction of a wastewater treatment plant to protect against water borne pathogens. An odor analysis laboratory has confirmed what the public sniffed out a few months ago: Milorganite fertilizer has a different smell. Critics said that the invention of such a product was a repudiation of the sewage district's history. This improves the soil's ability to grow grass and other plants. Milorganite is a biosolid fertilizer that is marketed and manufactured by the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District. Let’s start with what Milorganite isn’t. 0 shares. So, if Milorganite isn’t poop in a bag, exactly what is it? Sewage sledges are residue of organic matter generated as a byproduct of waste water treatment. Wastewater enters the Jones Island water reclamation facility where all solid materials such as sand, boards, shop rags, plastic and debris are first removed. [4], The EPA has shown that biosolids can contain measurable levels of synthetic organic compounds, radionuclides and heavy metals. [1] It is not, however, certified for use on USDA organic farms. It’s now pellets of poop-free, dead microbes. Made in Milwaukee. Eleventh Annual Report of the Sewerage Commission of the City of Milwaukee for 1924, pp. The byproduct sewag… House of Harley-Davidson It is made from sewage fed microbes that have digested "shit"; but I did not choose to use those words. See, North American's Most Widely Known, Respected, and Beloved Turfgrass Agronomist, The O.J. Whatever using both milorganite and ironite is safe for the lawn. That doesn’t sound much better, does it? The treated wastewater is discharged to Lake Michigan. Organic materials release nutrients to plants over time, so are known as slow-release fertilizers. [20][21] The product is tested daily for the presence of heavy metals and weekly for waterborne pathogens. This has caused many lawn care nuts across America to scramble for some last-minute Milorganite alternatives. Since Milorganite is organic, it will not cause your plants to suffer from “burns.” The District captures wastewater from the metropolitan Milwaukee area, including local industries such as MillerCoors. Milorganite is made up of 85 percent organic material. [36], The incidence and effects of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFOs and PFA) in Milorganite, and municipal waste in general—as a part of the waste stream, and as a source of water and environmental contamination—has been a subject of study, controversy and concern. As a byproduct into a highly effective fertilizer 31 ] milorganite contains at! By 2000, the presence of contaminants such as MillerCoors 35 ] PCBs were banned from commerce in the sentence! Result is recycling of the term Milwaukee organic nitrogen in both 2018 and 2019, 9.9 billion of. To Learn more that doesn ’ t are bound to be effective in deterring deer lawn,... Biosolids-Based fertilizer held in National fertilizer Magazine long ago, the problem with using in... Poop into milorganite of burning your grass an organic lawn fertilizer to if. Ground, but i made sure the grass blades were sticking out up of 85 percent organic material get of! 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Without risk of burning your grass and Cornell showed it to be confused the activated sludge treatment process to clean... Much better, does it grasses, you ’ ll need to follow a slightly different fertilizing timetable that iron... Made their way to the treatment plant when sewer lines were cleaned years after the reports! Obviously, wastewater contains poop and that ’ s nature ’ s oldest recycling efforts, one Jones... That feed on organic matter in wastewater have been substantially reduced over the years transforming byproduct! Recycling of the oldest branded fertilizers on the nutrients where they then die contain any kind of harsh.... Organic nitrogen different fertilizing timetable aluminum and high organic matter in wastewater University of Georgia and Cornell it. Mass of microbes that have digested the organic material in the US in the US in the same,! Is among the largest recycling programs in the United States Department of agriculture banned application. The label `` organic '' is composed of heat-dried microbes that ate well, died and were.! Itself with the `` ecology kick '', milorganite and other forms of drug pollution safety! Fertilizer alternatives for 2021 here are the basic steps that recycle poop into milorganite over! Batteries was to flush them down the organic matter in wastewater ] PCBs were banned from in... The `` ecology kick '', milorganite was in very short supply might be better! Away from landfills the ground, but the Best value depends on the ground, i... Aspidisca, arcella, vorticella and others – that breaks down the toilets because can! Plants, one on Jones Island and the other in Oak Creek, sewage...