Thread by @JustZeroOrg

1/ Last month, NYC launched its first curbside #composting effort in Queens, with the goal of expanding across the city to keep the 8M pounds of residential #FoodWaste generated daily from rotting in #landfills and createing #climate damaging emissions. buff.ly/40Mmyqu

2/ After the food scraps are collected, they’re sent to one of two #AnerobicDigestion facilities, where bacteria break down #organic materials in the absence of oxygen to creates a mixture of gases – or #biogas, which can be burned to produce #energy.

3/ But, as @LFO has made clear, #AnerobicDigestion can get tricky. Particularly when #FoodScraps are sent to the #digesters at wastewater treatment plants, which are used to reduce the volume of #SewageSludge. This is happening in NYC. buff.ly/3HNF4s4

@LFO 4/ Sewage sludge is loaded with #PFAS (a group of toxic chemicals). PFAS are called #ForeverChemicals for a reason – because they don’t biodegrade, and they aren't removed from sludge in wastewater treatment plants.

@LFO 5/ In fact, concentrations of PFOA (one type of #PFAS) in #SewageSludge can be 250,000 times the amount considered safe by the EPA (4 ppt). And PFOS (another type of PFAS) can be 60,000 times the EPA’s proposed limits. buff.ly/41J6s2d

@LFO 6/ So, adding #FoodScraps to this mess only adds to the problem. When mixed with #SweageSludge, those scraps become a poison. Sadly, that toxic sludge is often used as #fertilizer, which pollutes the air, water, and soil.

@LFO 7/ On top of that, research out of @Princeton shows that wastewater treatment plants are huge #methane emitters. And the plants with #AnaerobicDigesters emit more than three times the methane than plants without digesters. buff.ly/446Jzau

@LFO @Princeton 8/ Every time you see the words #WastewaterTreatment, #SewageSludge, #biosolids, and #sewage, think: #PFAS. Because these plants and their byproducts are major sources of PFAS pollution.

@LFO @Princeton 9/ #FoodWaste should NEVER be sent to wastewater treatment plants. Once there, it becomes poisonous. We need clean #compost and #AnaerobicDigestion programs where food is processed separately from toxics like #SewageSludge.

@LFO @Princeton 10/ As NYC works to expand its curbside #composting programs, we urge the city to steer clear of wastewater treatment plants and instead, invest in clean, toxic-free programs that benefit our #climate, #health, and #environment.