letters Challenging the flush toilet 0 The Viewpoint by Harold H . Leich in our January issue (page I I ) , “ A challenge to the environment pro,” resulted in more than 50 letters f r o m readers. A representative, edited selection follows.
DEARSIR: Mr. Leich’s question: “Can modern technology devise a better method of sewage disposal . , .?” is certainly answered “yes.” It is unnecessary to use scarce and expensive drinking water for this purpose, as it is much more appropriate to use reclaimed waste water or polluted surface waters, conserving high-quality drinking water for high-quality uses. Water is plentiful if we manage it properly; it is one of our renewable resources. To cease using it for essential functions is a retrograde step . , . . Many proposals have been made for individual household reclamation sys-
tems. However, any cost analysis would show that such systems are far more expensive than community water reclamation systems. Daniel A. Okun Environmental Engineering Dept. University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, N.C. 27514
incinerated. It is biologically harmless, nearly odorless and mechanically stable. J. R. Conner, president Environmental Sciences, Inc. Pittsburgh, Pa. 15226
DEARSIR: My answer to Mr. Leich’s question is “yes.” Not only has such a method already been developed beyond the conceptual stage, but it is not too far removed from Mr. Leich’s proposed system. The solution is embodied in Environmental Sciences’ Chemfix process. The Chemfix process, which is presently being used for ultimate disposal of industrial sludges and concentrated liquid waste, consists of chemical detoxification, deodorization, and solidification. The solidified human waste so produced can ultimately be buried in a landfill or
DEARSIR: Mr. Leich’s degradable canister could possibly be made of asphaltcoated paper. We are testing this material as a mulching material; it is waterproof and biodegradable. As for the powder, hydrated lime has been used for years to aid in decomposition and reduce odors of animal wastes. A paper canister containing sewage and hydrated lime could be incorporated into the topsoil with conventional farm equipment, probably annually.
F. M. Rhoads College of Agriculture University of Florida Quincy, F b . 32351 (continued on page 282)
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Volume 5, Number 4, April 1971 281
