Milorganite is a brand of biosolids fertilizer produced by the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District, a contraction of the term Milwaukee Organic Nitrogen. The District captures wastewater from the Milwaukee metropolitan area, including local industries. The solids remaining after the water is treated at the Jones Island Water Reclamation Facility in Milwaukee, Wisconsin are then processed by microbes that digest the organic matter and turn it into organic nitrogen. Cleaned water is then returned to Lake Michigan. The recycled pelletized fertilizer, which is sold throughout North America, reduces the need for manufactured nutrients. After more than 90 years, it is one of the largest and most continuous examples of community-run nonprofit environmental programs.
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History
The name Milorganite is the winning result in a 1925 naming contest held in National Fertilizer Magazine, a contraction of the term Milwaukee Organic Nitrogen. Its history began with Milwaukee’s goal to clean up its rivers and Lake Michigan. Rather than land filling solids left over from waterwater treatment, the sludge was used in a pioneering effort to make, distribute and sell fertilizer. "Its production is among the largest recycling programs in the world."
The Jones Island Plant was the first sewage treatment plant in the United States to succeed in using the activated sludge treatment process to produce an organic fertilizer, and had the largest water treatment capacity of any plant in the world when constructed in 1925. The plant has been designated as a Historic Civil Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Civil Engineers.
Milorganite's roots began in 1911, when reform-minded socialists were elected on a platform calling for construction of a wastewater treatment plant to protect against water borne pathogens. As raising taxes for public health was relatively controversial in the early 1900s, producing fertilizer as a means of partially offsetting its operating cost was proposed. With the help of researchers in the College of Agriculture at the University of Wisconsin, the use of waste solids in the form of "activated sludge" as a source of fertilizer had been developed in the early 20th century. Experiments showed that heat-dried activated sludge pellets "compared favorably with standard organic materials such as dried blood, tankage, fish scap, and cottonseed meal." Milorganite made its debut in 1926 as the first pelletized fertilizer in the United States, with sales directed at golf courses, turf farms and flower growers. The brand was popularized during the 1930s and 1940s before inorganic urea became available to homeowners after WWII.
Since its inception, Milorganite has sold over 9,000,000,000 pounds (4.1×109 kg) of recycled waste. As of 2012, the plant produced about 45,000 tons from heat-dried microbes per year. The sale of product does not entirely generate sufficient funds to cover the costs of manufacture, but the organization suggests the environmental benefits are a legitimate offsetting consideration:
"Headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Milorganite products are manufactured and marketed by the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD), a regional government agency whose primary focus is providing water reclamation and flood management services for about 1.1 million customers in 28 communities in the Greater Milwaukee Area. Since 1926 MMSD has been a world leader in supplying Organic Nitrogen fertilizers for professional and residential use. While revenue generated through the sale of Milorganite products does not make up for the entire cost to produce and market, our belief in beneficial reuse and recycling makes producing our value added products the clear choice."
Even as it balances such conflicting goals and successfully navigates the fluctuations and vagaries of a changing waste streamMilorganite has been at the forefront of the industry.
Product
Heat-dried biosolids contain slow release organic nitrogen, largely water-insoluble phosphorus bound with iron and aluminum and high organic matter.
Milorganite contains virtually no salts, so it never burns plants – even in the hottest temperatures and driest conditions. It may be applied without water, and is moisture activated at a later time. Each application feeds for 8–10 weeks, resulting in fewer applications.
Milorganite can be used without restriction on gardens intended for human consumption under USEPA rules. The product is tested daily for the presence of heavy metals and waterborne pathogens. It complies with the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) "Exceptional Quality" criteria, which establishes the strictest concentration limits in the fertilizer industry for heavy metals, allowing Milorganite to be used on food crops. Milorganite is also tested for the presence of contaminants such as waste pharmaceuticals and other forms of drug pollution.
According to its Material safety data sheet Milorganite is "registered for sale in all 50 states and meets all federal and state requirements." The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) certifies it as biobased because it is derived from 85% renewable materials. It is not, however, certified for use on U.S.D.A. organic farms.
University research confirms anecdotal evidence that applying Milorganite on lawns and near plants deters deer due to its odor. However, the fertilizer is not marketed as a deer repellent as it is not registered as a "pesticide", as the cost of certification is greater than its potential return.