Twice a year since 2007, the SFPUC [San Francisco's Public Utilities Commission] has hosted "Compost Giveaway Events" in locations throughout the city. Although the city has marketed the material as "organic compost" or "organic fertilizer," it turns out that it is really toxic sludge generated by San Francisco and seven other counties' industrial, hospital, commercial and residential sewage. Residents who had lined up at the giveaways were outraged to learn of SFPUC¹s bait-and-switch.

"I had no idea that the free sludge was toxic. I am just shocked that this has happened for so long," says one such gardener, who wishes to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation by the city. "I have some stuff left in the shed but I won't use it. I am very unhappy about the entire situation; I have used biosolids [a made-up euphemism for sewage sludge] for two straight years only to find out that it doesn¹t adhere to the community garden¹s strict rules on organic practices."

In fact, the USDA explicitly prohibits food grown in sewage sludge, or in any "product" derived from sewage sludge, to be labeled organic. Sewage sludge is a noxious stew derived from all the industrial, hospital, commercial, residential and radioactive wastes and stormwater runoff that end up in municipal sewer systems.

San Francisco wants you to believe that their sewage sludge is greener and safer than most cities because SF is less industrialized. Their website falsely claims that the "free compost" being given away comes from SF's sludge alone.

In fact SF's "free organic fertilizer" comes from seven counties besides SF, some of them--like Fresno and Solano--heavily industrialized with giant oil refineries, metals industries and chemical plants that generate enormous quantities of hazardous and toxic materials.

This sludge containing hazardous materials from all eight counties are blended at Synagro's waste management facility in Dos Palos and then shipped back to SF to be "given away" to the unsuspecting public as "organic biosolids compost."

At the moment, an independent lab is testing the sludge and sending back its preliminary results. So far they are seeing PBDEs, nonylphenols, triclosan and some "new" non-PBDE flame retardants in the samples in "decent amounts." Triclosan is widely used in antibacterial soaps. PBDE is a flame retardant that may cause neurobehavioral problems.

I take no joy in reporting this, as it means that many SF residents are eating from gardens contaminated with this stuff (and a whole lot more)