Composting and Organic Compost
Academic articles07 de December de 2025
Urban waste utilization for humus production
Composting is considered the most efficient process for treating and stabilizing organic waste, producing a hygienic and useful product at acceptable costs.
Given the growing concern about environmental pollution problems associated with the scarcity of natural resources, the ideal solution for the organic fraction of solid waste would be its stabilization through controlled biological processes, allowing for nutrient recycling and the use of organic matter.
Public solid waste resulting from pruning generates a considerable volume of plant material that can be used for composting, significantly contributing to reducing the damage caused by the disorderly disposal of urban waste, thus reducing pressure on natural resources. This procedure enables the production of compost for use in agricultural areas, seed production, and landscaping, as it recycles the nutrients present in these materials.
Due to the lack of new areas for waste disposal and the need to extend their lifespan, another strong argument for the implementation of composting and recycling systems is the minimization of the amount of solid waste to be disposed of in these landfills.
Another environmental factor concerns seed production, tree planting in urban areas, and the creation or renovation of flowerbeds for gardening in public areas.
The soil for these purposes is largely imported from wild and rural areas surrounding metropolitan areas and sold under the name of "fertilized soil," meaning a mixture of this mineral soil with organic fertilizer is made.
The use of this waste could serve as a basis for simultaneously providing a use for a material that is environmentally sustainable and is currently being dumped in landfills and dumps, contributing to environmental problems, while also saving public funds.
Composting
Traditionally, agricultural materials are composted. This type of material is generally free of contaminants and, when composted correctly, produces high-quality organic fertilizer suitable for use in crops. However, currently, compost can be produced from other organic sources such as:
- Waste from agricultural or food industries. The carbon/nitrogen (C/N) ratio can vary greatly. Legumes are rich sources of N and grasses of C. The mixture of these two types of materials is almost always appropriate.
- Waste from horticulture, arboriculture, landscaping companies, urban pruning, and gardening are organic raw materials.
