Farmers use a variety of materials when growing food crops to promote plant growth and improve soil health. The concept of "recycling" waste products for beneficial use is noble but not always appropriate because of the widespread use of chemicals in today's society. For example, human waste has been used as a fertilizer for centuries. However, the reality is that current regulations allow companies to dispose of liquid hazardous waste through the public sewer system. Pollution levels in wastewater going through sewage treatment plant are compounded by widespread use of toxic products in homes, schools, and businesses. Since the sewage system is meant to treat human waste, many chemicals pass through to the sludge, where they can contaminate crops if the sludge is used as a fertilizer. Likewise with industrial waste: using the wastes for their plant nutrient value could be beneficial but many waste materials–including lime from pollution control equipment-contain significant amounts of dioxins, heavy metals and other toxic pollutants. IATP advocates for proper disposal of toxic wastes, labeling of products grown with sludge or waste-derived fertilizers, and full disclosure of sewage sludge or industrial waste contents to users. Absent these protections, IATP will continue advocating for an end to use of sewage sludge or hazardous waste-derived fertilizer in food production.

• Sewage sludge
• Hazardous waste in fertilizers
• Toxins in fertilizers used in the home and garden

Sewage sludge
Farmers who use conventional agricultural methods may use sewage sludge (sometimes referred to as "biosolids") because sewage treatment plants give it away or sell it as a cheap fertilizer/soil amendment. They are generally unaware that the sludge can contain toxic chemicals from industries, as well as hazardous materials from residential use of toxic products, prescription drugs and personal care products that sewage treatment plants have not been designed to handle. Thus, sewage sludge can be contaminated with radioactive material and thousands of toxic chemicals (e.g. dioxins, plasticizers, flame retardants, mercury, cadmium, lead) with potentially severe health effects. For instance, the sewage treatment plant that services Minneapolis and St. Paul receives discharge from more than 600 industrial facilities. Bacteria, viruses and other pathogens that can cause disease may also survive the sludge treatment process.

Hazardous waste in fertilizers
Labels on fertilizer are legally required to list the ingredients (nutrients) beneficial to plants. No mention is made of contaminants. Thus, under the guise of "recycling," the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) allows hazardous waste to be used for the plant nutrients, such as nitrogen or zinc, without disclosure to farmers or consumers about "tag-along toxics" (dioxins, lead, cadmium, etc.) that may also be present.

Toxins in fertilizers used in the home and garden
Some lawn and garden fertilizers available for use by consumers may also contain recycled hazardous waste.

One particular fertilizer, Ironite, was banned for sale in Minnesota in 2003 because it contains more than 500 parts per million (ppm) of arsenic. Made from mining waste, Ironite also contains high levels of lead and cadmium. It is the best known of contaminated fertilizer products, but certainly not the only one. IATP believes that farmers and consumers have the right to know not only all of the constituents in any fertilizer product, but also the source of each, so that they can make informed decisions about whether or not to use them.