The
days of the sewerage system are numbered.
[go
to HAIG REPORT home frames],
It will be only a matter of years [possibly much much sooner] before
the sewerage systems of Australia, will have to be shut down
permanently. It is already beginning to show the signs of its
demise. I will explain below, but what then is the point of
having big capital intensive "recycling works"? Recycling
should be done but at the houselold level. This is the
logic of biomimicry.
Also consistent with the ideal of biomimicry, and the long run trend of
increasing cost of fuel for transportation , is the growing of food
crops, fruit and vegetables instead of water wasting "lawn" [just
varieties of weeds] on surburban land. The organic
fertiliser from the composting toilets will be anatural fit for the
growing of food crops on surburban land. Just as the
"wealthier" at present pay a gardener to mow and tend their yards,
those people will do little different except their gardener will tend
fruit and vegetables instead of cultivated weeds. As well as
rotating the crops, I am sure it will be done with a visual design in
mind.
Of course, that solves another
costly and unpleasant task: Where to site sewerage outfalls. Sewerage outfalls are a
waste of organic nutrients. That is an economic resource.
My action on the record IN EARLY, 2004, was that Urban reticulated
water should be charged at full cost. That was also the
opinion of Council
of Australian Governments' Meeting [COAG] 25 June 2004.
The inevitable demise of the sewerage system.
Apart from the logic of not wasting good drinking water on flushing the
toilet, it will be taken out of the government's hands. As
the water flow in the sewers reduces, and PROPORTIONALLY more solids
are disposed of
in the sewers of the same absolute length, the sewers will block and CEASE TO FLOW.
Do you want to then be still depending on the sewerage system?
Would you like to be at the bottom of a hill when the sewer blocks down
stream from you? Governments are going to have to come to
deal with this sooner or later. I suggest it will be sooner. The
Queensland Government is subsidising the recycling of grey water and
reduction of water flow in the sewerage system. As you will
see
on my composting toilets page
composting toilets are already approved by the South Australian
Department of Health. Do you doubt that any council facing
water shortage will refuse the installation of a proper composting
toilet? It will become ESSENTIAL for people to have
composting toilets or else have no working toilet at all. The
Executive Government should consider the health ramifications of such
an eventuality.
See the Australian
Government site on waterless toilets, and my page of suppliers of
COMPOSTING TOILETS.
[go
to HAIG REPORT home frames]