On 13/01/2011 12:40, Jake wrote:
On Thu, 13 Jan 2011 12:15:35 +0000, stuart noble
wrote:

Now that our cat is getting ancient, I've got to provide a litter tray.
I'm using the fuller's earth type litter and the urine soaked clumps I'm
digging into one of our flower beds, which is a bit on the stony/sandy
side at present. As you'd expect from clay it certainly makes the soil
stickier and more moisture retentive, but I'm wondering if it has any
benefits nutrient wise. One thing's for sure, I'm not putting it in the
dustbin after paying good money for it and humping it about!

I dispose of used cat litter in my "black waste bag" (around here it's
then taken to a processing plant and converted into something useful).
I don't dig it into the garden as (a) it can contain bad bacteria - a
definite don't dig into your veg patch - patricularly with solid waste
and (b) I've read in many places that the scent will atttract other
cats to use the area as a toilet - the smell that seeps up through the
soil is unlikely to be smelt by humans but cats sniffing around will
detect it. On the other hand, I have read that disposing of urine
soaked litter down a mole hill acts as a deterrent as moles cannot
stand the smell.

I don't think you can convert clay to "something useful". Most people
round here just dump it in the non-recyclable bin that goes to
landfill, but I'm too much of an eco warrior (and a scrooge) to do that.