Notre Dame Student Finds That SOIL Compost is Pathogen Free

John Strutner from the University of Notre Dame recently traveled  from Indiana to Haiti in order to collect samples of SOIL’s compost and test it for fecal pathogens.  SOIL assiduously follows international public health standards for the composting of human waste as it converts over 5,000 gallons of poo per week into nutrient rich fertilizer. Now thanks to John’s study, we have evidence that  SOIL’s efforts are paying off.  John found that pathogenic material present in the human waste that SOIL freshly collected from ecological sanitation toilets around Haiti was no longer present after going through the composting process.

As John reports: “With the knowledge that the compost is free of pathogenic material, the public health and environmental benefits are immense. With over 32% of children estimated to be infected with intestinal worms in Haiti, providing sanitation is of extreme importance in preventing the spread of intestinal worms which are transmitted by human contact with feces or feces contaminated items. Intestinal worms have been shown to compete with the body for ingested nutrients and if they continue to exist and infect a high numbers of children, many physical and mental growth problems will persist, inhibiting development in all sectors of society. “
John Strutner of the University of Notre-Dame and Erinold Frederic, a SOIL employee, get a  closer look at SOIL’s compost.