Organic Waste Generation and Its Valorization Potential through Composting in Shashemene, Southern Ethiopia

Oukula Obsa, Menfese Tadesse, Dong-Gill Kim, Zeleke Asaye, Fantaw Yimer, Mersha Gebrehiwot, Nicolas Brüggemann and Katharina Prost
Additional contact information
Oukula Obsa: Wondo Genet College of Forestry and Natural Resources, Hawassa University, Shashemene P.O. Box 128, Ethiopia
Menfese Tadesse: Wondo Genet College of Forestry and Natural Resources, Hawassa University, Shashemene P.O. Box 128, Ethiopia
Dong-Gill Kim: Wondo Genet College of Forestry and Natural Resources, Hawassa University, Shashemene P.O. Box 128, Ethiopia
Zeleke Asaye: Wondo Genet College of Forestry and Natural Resources, Hawassa University, Shashemene P.O. Box 128, Ethiopia
Fantaw Yimer: Wondo Genet College of Forestry and Natural Resources, Hawassa University, Shashemene P.O. Box 128, Ethiopia
Mersha Gebrehiwot: Wondo Genet College of Forestry and Natural Resources, Hawassa University, Shashemene P.O. Box 128, Ethiopia
Nicolas Brüggemann: Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Institute of Bio- and Geosciences (IBG-3, Agrosphere), 52425 Jülich, Germany
Katharina Prost: Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Institute of Bio- and Geosciences (IBG-3, Agrosphere), 52425 Jülich, Germany

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 6, 1-19

Abstract: Composting organic waste and human excreta could significantly reduce the amount of waste dumped and increase soil fertility and agricultural yields. However, studies focusing on the replacement of mineral fertilizer with compost from these resources are rare. The presented study quantifies the potential of human excreta and other organic waste for compost production. During wet and dry seasons, the generation and composition of household solid waste (HSW) was measured from three wealth categories: poor, medium, and rich, as well as the organic waste generated from 20 commercial facilities. Furthermore, the amount of human excreta, when converting unimproved into ecological sanitation facilities, was assessed. The HSW generation was significantly higher in the wet (0.77 ± 0.07 kg fresh weight (FW) cap −1 day −1 ) compared to the dry season (0.54 ± 0.04 kg FW cap −1 day −1 ). Organic waste was the main component of HSW in the dry and wet seasons, accounting for 84% and 76% of the total HSW, respectively. Annually, about 6824 Mg of organic dry matter could be collected from households, 212 Mg from commercial units, and 12,472 Mg from ecological sanitation. With these resources, 11,732 Mg of compost could be produced annually and used for fertilizing 470 ha of farmland, completely replacing mineral fertilizer.

Keywords: municipal solid waste; organic waste; human excreta; thermophilic composting; organic fertilizer; ecological sanitation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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