Disposing Of Contaminated Soil

[slinkycat]

My son has had problems with a broken waste pipe running under his garden. It is now fixed, but to do so he had to dig out quite a pile of earth and rubble to get to the pipe.
He is understandably reluctant to backfill the hole with with this smelly, sewage contaminated soil, but is unsure of how to dispose of it safely, other than bagging it and taking it to the local tip.
Any advice appreciated.

[ummmm]

It's bagging it and taking it to the tip or hiring a skip.

Unless he wants to do a Andy Dufresne and release a little bit in the park down his trouser legs each day :-)

[baza]

get rid of the rubble back fill with a mix of smelly and new soil. The smell will soon go and the nutrients will help with plant growth.

[slinkycat]

Actually ummm he did jokingly suggest taking a bit with him each day on the way to work and chucking it in a hedge!
Just not sure if its the sort of stuff you should be taking to the tip in view of what it contains!

[slinkycat]

We did wonder about that baza, the hole is where he'd planned to start a veg patch, but not sure we'd fancy carrots knowing what they'd been grown in!

[mohill]

Hi slinkycat. Dig it in and as you are doing this, scatter a handful of garden lime every couple of spadefuls. This will help it decompose and also act as a neutraliser. Any animal waste decomposes fairly rapidly and is as good a fertiliser as you could wish. It is only the thought of it that is off-putting.

Just don't tell your inlaws if they have come for a meal!!

[ummmm]

This is why you should 'always' wash your veg :-)

[atalanta]

Just read an article in the latest New Scientist journal - apparently farmers in India are paying a lot of money for human waste, as crops benefit hugely. Waste can be left in a holding pit until it breaks down, then added to the soil to enrich it. So put it back and don't worry, but perhaps don't grow tomatoes on it just yet awhile.

[The Builder]

Before the Victorians installed town sewer systems, waste was always taken out into the countryside and spread on the fields.
I really wouldn't worry about digging it back in.

[society]

In China they are presently using human waste as fertilizer. I recently saw it on the Chinese TV channel.

[slinkycat]

Thanks for all the replies, its reassuring to know its not harmful, as mohill says though,the thought is rather off-putting!
I'll suggest to my son he puts it back in,minus the rubble and mixed in with some new soil and lime.
That would save a lot of bother as there's not enough to warrant a skip but it would probably take several trips to the tip.

[chas2008]

ive heard poomore is almost as good as growmore