Dillo Dirt information

Dillo Dirt is a compost made by the City of Austin, Texas since 1989. It was the first program of its kind in the state and one of the oldest in the nation.^[1] Dillo Dirt is named after the nine-banded armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus), which is a mammal native to Texas. It is also a trademarked product of the City of Austin Water Department.

The unique difference between Dillo Dirt and normal compost is that it contains treated municipal sewage sludge along with yard trimmings collected curbside by the City of Austin Resource Recovery Department. These are combined and composted to create Dillo Dirt. Despite this fact, Dillo Dirt meets all Texas and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency requirements for "unrestricted" use, which even includes vegetable gardens.

The heat generated in composting (130 to 170 °F (50 to 80 °C)) is sufficient to virtually eliminate human and plant pathogens. After active composting for more than a month, the compost is "cured" for several months, and then screened to produce the finished product.

According to the City of Austin, Dillo Dirt contains levels of heavy metals including arsenic, cadmium, copper, lead, mercury, molybdenum, nickel, selenium, and zinc.^{[citation needed]} In a separate toxicological analysis of Dillo Dirt, levels of the following pollutants were found: beta-BHC, DDE, dieldrin, endrin aldehyde, benzo(b)fluoranthene, dibenz(a,h)anthracene, benzo(a)anthracene, indeno(1,2,3-cd)pyrene, and bis(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate. Very few tests have been carried out on Dillo Dirt, so its average pollutant, radioactivity, and carcinogen levels are generally unknown.^[2]