When BBGP got started, I immediately started researching free resources to get the gardens started – seeds, mulch, compost, etc. I soon discovered that MWRD (Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago) provides free compost, called EQ Compost, made from biosolids: in other words, shit.
You may be aware that Milwaukee has their own version of biosolids compost called Milorganite, but it is not free. And it smells bad – like sewage.
The MWRD compost is indeed free and has no odor at all. They will deliver it for free – minimum 10 cu. yds. though. That’s a whole lotta shit. But, there are a number of sites around the city where you can shovel it yourself. The closest location to us is the O’Brien plant on Howard just west of McCormick. You just pull up next to the mound with your car and start shoveling into whatever containers you brought in your car. Provided you brought some good containers or strong bags, because this is some heavy shit. And I hope you brought a shovel. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve loaned my shovel to other people who only brought things to shovel with like a plastic dust pan or just a large kitchen spoon. I’m not kidding.
I did have some questions about this MWRD compost, particularly around long term storage and pharmaceutical content, so I emailed them and I received responses from their Senior Environmental Soil Scientist, Theresa Johnston. During the course of our communications, Theresa became interested in BBGP and asked if MWRD could include an article about BBGP in their biosolids newsletter. Well, who wouldn’t want to be written up in a biosolids newsletter!!!!
Theresa drove up to Berteau at the end of September from the Stickney plant so she could see the BBGP gardens and interview me. The newsletter with the BBGP article has been released in the latest Fall/Winter edition. Click HERE for the link to the newsletter’s PDF.
So, I did use quite a bit of this compost for the BBGP raised beds and Semper Pi. Being a shit shoveler is back-breaking but it is worth it. It is a great resource.