REVISED: March 2026
A Bit of Good News
Sludge Update
An important decision was made in 2025, and we wanted to make sure you all have a more complete understanding about this issue while it’s being “talked about.” (We wish more people were talking about this and bringing more attention to it!)
This applies to everyone, whether or not you garden, whether or not you use any fertilizer. It impacts not only farms and farmers, but those who live near farms, care about farmers, care about food safety, their health and family’s health, it’s important for those who spend time in public parks, who’s kids play on playgrounds or public fields, and for everyone who cares about our environment and the condition of the land we leave to future generations.
It was over twenty-four years ago when Machaelle first sounded the alarm to our Perelandra customers about "biosolids." The research at that time made it clear to us sludge was a very serious problem for all of us. The EPA has finally taken notice.
In January 2025, for the first time, the Environmental Protection Agency warned:
Harmful chemicals in sewage sludge spread on pasture as fertilizer pose a risk to people who regularly consume milk, beef and other products from those farms, in some cases raising cancer risk “several orders of magnitude” above what the EPA considers acceptable, federal officials announced on Tuesday. In an extensive study the agency said that the risk from contaminated fertilizer could in some cases exceed the E.P.A.’s safety thresholds “sometimes [also] by several orders of magnitude.”
In a First, the E.P.A. Warns of ‘Forever Chemicals’ in Sludge Fertilizer
[The New York Times, 1/14/25]
Chemicals in sewage sludge fertilizer pose cancer risk, EPA says
[Associated Press, 1/14/25]
Sludge Contaminated 10,000 Acres of Farmland. What Should Be Done?
[The New York Times, 4/21/25]
REVISED: April 2024
SLUDGE a.k.a 'Biosolids'
If you are gardening or farming and using fertilizers on your land, you'll want to be informed and prepared should you need to ask nature for options and adjustments to fertilizers you had already tested and planned to apply to your soil.
We are especially concerned more farmers may turn to sludge (aka "biosolids") as a fertilizing option if they are priced out of commercial fertilizers. And we're hoping you can help us prevent that.
Even if you don't garden or farm, you may know someone who does. Or you may live in a community that is considering using sludge on the city park land or on the school yard or ballfields. Also, sludge can be found hiding in that bag labelled "natural" fertilizer you just picked up at your local garden center.
Please pass on this important information about sludge.
What never to include with your fertilizer options:
SLUDGE
When Machaelle Wright published The Perelandra Garden Workbook, she included an important update and reminder — do not use sewage sludge in your garden or on your land. It summarizes her original detailed article and is a short, easy read you can share with neighbors, farmers and friends.
Read the excerpt :
What Never to Include on Your Fertilizer Options List:
Land Applied Sewage Sludge a.k.a. "Biosolids"
In 2002, after extensive research, Machaelle alerted our Perelandra customers about "biosolids." She put the pieces together for all of us in a detailed article. Forward this important article to your farmer friends, and those in your community who make decisions about public lands and parks.
There are many ways to support your soil in addition to fertilizing. The easiest is to apply ETS for Soil to your garden, farm, wildflower meadow, orchard or land using the steps in the brochure.
