Last month, Time Magazine ran a feature story on a fairly obscure environmental movement to bypass traditional wastewater treatment by composting human waste. The waste, mixed with sawdust and allowed to break down into nutrient-rich soil, has spawned the term “humanure.’’

According to Time (www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1945764,00.html), some proponents of humanure are rural, back-to-nature folks you might expect to be interested in, and well-equipped to convert waste into fertilizer in their own backyards. But the story also mentioned the efforts of a handful of city dwellers dedicated to composting their wastes to reduce water usage in municipal sewer systems.

Will this phenomenon have an impact on contractors who pump and maintain residential septic systems? Not likely. Will these waste recycling pioneers slow flows to municipal sewer plants. Frankly, that seems even less likely.

A composting advocate Time talked to boasted that composting is “more sanitary and rational’’ than conventional waste treatment. That argument has a hole in it big enough to drive a septic service truck through. First off, I don’t think vast majority of busy Americans would consider do-it-yourself waste treatment as either “sanitary’’ or “rational.’’ And highly skilled and principled pumpers will counter that a well-maintained septic system is already a top-quality recycling option.

To balance the story, Time could have sought the opinions of an onsite system professional or municipal sewer operator. But they didn’t.