Biosolids: Beneficial Reuse Fact Sheet

Biosolids are the nutrient-rich organic product of wastewater treatment. During the wastewater treatment process, the liquid portion of the wastewater is treated and returned to rivers or lakes, and the solids, or ‘sludge’, are further processed into stable organic material, called biosolids. Everyone contributes directly or indirectly to biosolids, whether connected to sewer systems or on septic tanks. It is therefore important for households and businesses to properly dispose of hazardous materials at waste collection facilities and not into a sewer or septic system.

The management options for sludge or biosolids that are currently available to Vermont municipalities include non-beneficial uses such as landfill disposal or incineration, both of which are becoming less of a viable option in Vermont due to impending facility closures and distances from municipalities, and beneficial uses such as a fertilizer and soil amendment for agricultural land, urban and suburban developments, or land reclamation projects.

Vermont Agency of Natural Resources Biosolids – Beneficial Reuse Fact Sheet