The Dirty Truth About Sewage Sludge on Our Farms

One Bite is Everything

Most of us have never heard of “biosolids”—but it’s time we do. Also known as sewage sludge, this is the concentrated waste from treatment plants that contains not just human waste, but pharmaceuticals, microplastics, PFAS “forever chemicals,” and industrial byproducts. And in many states, it’s being spread on farmland as fertilizer.

In this short episode, Wes Gillingham explains:

• What sewage sludge actually is and how it’s classified.
• Why PFAS and other contaminants make sludge far more dangerous than it sounds.
• How sludge moves from treatment plants onto hay fields, into milk, and back into our food chain.
• What states like New York, Massachusetts, and Connecticut are doing to ban or restrict its use.
• Why banning sludge on farmland is one of the simplest, most urgent wins for protecting farmers, consumers, and the environment.

This isn’t a pretty topic, but it’s a vital one. What we flush doesn’t just disappear—it can end up right back on our plates.