Converting Human Waste Into Fertilizer

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PineappleDuckCurry
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Converting Human Waste Into Fertilizer

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The precepts of circular economy—reusing water, using biodegradable plastic, composting food leftovers so they can be returned to the soil rather than become landfill—are among the hottest ideas of our century. But what about recycling what our food becomes after we eat it? Yes, that means excrement, a critical substance in the thoroughly functioning circular economy, seems to be left out of the equation.

When you next go grocery shopping, check where your food comes from. Most hails from the bread baskets of our planet, often places with warmer weather. As that food grew, it extracted nutrients from the land. But, as we consume it, we don’t return these nutrients back to the earth that fed us. That’s a problem. When we grow our food in location A, but eat and excrete it in location B, we create what scientists call “the metabolic rift.” Even Karl Marx warned us about this problem. The prominent 19th century philosopher and economist, who most famously focused on critique of politics and political economy, also understood the issues of soil fertility, organic recycling, and sustainability.
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https://daily.jstor.org/waste-not-want-not/
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