What is this tool intended for?

The Treated Faecal Sludge Compost for Non-food Applications standard ensures the safe production of compost derived from faecal sludge for non-food crops. It aims to address the challenges faced by faecal sludge treatment facilities in managing biosolids while unlocking opportunities for resource recovery, soil health improvement, and revenue generation.

How does this tool work?

The standard outlines quality and safety parameters for faecal sludge-derived compost, including:

• Threshold limits for pathogens (faecal coliforms and helminths)
• Limits for heavy metals such as lead, arsenic, and mercury
• Testing protocols for microbiological and chemical analyses
• Requirements for proper sampling, packaging, labeling, and quality monitoring

It also provides operational guidelines to ensure compost products meet safety standards for use in non-food agricultural applications such as plantations, tree farms, and soil restoration projects.

Who might use this tool and with which types of stakeholders?

The standard is useful for a range of stakeholders, including:

• Municipalities and urban local bodies (ULBs): For biosolid management and resource recovery
• Sanitation entrepreneurs: Interested in commercializing compost products
• Compost producers: For ensuring compliance with quality standards
• Regulators and policymakers: For developing frameworks to formalize biosolids reuse
• Agricultural sector: Non-food crop farmers, tree plantations, and horticultural industries

What stages of a process can this tool support?

• Planning: Establishing safe and viable systems for biosolid compost production
• Implementation: Guiding treatment facilities in producing high-quality compost
• Monitoring and evaluation: Supporting ongoing quality control and compliance
• Commercialization: Promoting market development for compost products

What skills, capabilities, and resources are required to use this tool?

• Technical expertise: Understanding of composting, pathogen reduction, and quality monitoring processes
• Laboratory capacity: For testing safety and quality parameters
• Infrastructure: Access to faecal sludge treatment plants (FSTPs) and compost production units
• Regulatory knowledge: To ensure compliance with local and national standards

Where can this tool be used?

The standard can be applied in urban and peri-urban settings, particularly where faecal sludge treatment plants operate. It is especially relevant in contexts like India’s Swachh Bharat Mission Urban 2.0, where cities aim to achieve ODF++ by safely managing faecal sludge and biosolids.

Case examples of where this tool has been used

In India, as part of the Swachh Bharat Mission Urban 2.0, cities are adopting biosolids treatment and exploring compost production for non-food agricultural applications. Commercial tree farms and plantations as well as other agricultural establishments have utilized biosolid compost to improve soil health and productivity while reducing reliance on chemical fertilizers.