MILWAUKEE — Milorganite has diverted 10 billion pounds of waste from landfills since 1926.
It is a fertilizer produced in Milwaukee and sold around the country.
Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District Director of Public Engagement Peter Coffaro oversees the making of Milorganite at the Jones Island Reclamation Facility.
Coffaro said it starts by taking the water from around the Milwaukee region that has drained into their aeration basins.
Then micro-organisms called microbes are added.
“We put them in this bath,” said Coffaro. “It’s at a good temperature. There’s lots of oxygen. The nutrients and the microbes are mixed in there. They are eating the material. It’s a short and happy life. They are eating a lot and they are reproducing.”
The microbes are moved into sediment tanks, where they are mixed with a binding agent.
Coffaro said excess water is disinfected and put back into Lake Michigan. He said that’s what sets them apart from other water treatment facilities.
“Most treatment plant processes, it’s always about needing to remove that water and get that waste off and generally it goes to landfill, and we are able to recycle that product,” said Coffaro.
Finally, the microbes are cooked to make the Milorganite fertilizer.
Coffaro calls the product “goof-proof” because it is easy to apply, it can work for up to 8 to 10 weeks and will not burn your lawn.
“It does deep root growth development and then it has two and half percent of iron as well to the product which really helps add the greenness to lawns,” said Coffaro.
Coffaro said one of his favorite things is letting the public into their facility through their “Open Door” tour.
That’s because he said he hopes to show people how the water that is drained not only helps make Milorganite but also helps the environment.