Composting as a Sustainable Solution for Organic Solid Waste Management: Current Practices and Potential Improvements

Elena Elisabeta Manea, Costel Bumbac (), Laurentiu Razvan Dinu, Marius Bumbac and Cristina Mihaela Nicolescu ()
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Elena Elisabeta Manea: National Research and Development Institute for Industrial Ecology—ECOIND, 57–73 Drumul Podu Dambovitei, District 6, 060652 Bucharest, Romania
Costel Bumbac: National Research and Development Institute for Industrial Ecology—ECOIND, 57–73 Drumul Podu Dambovitei, District 6, 060652 Bucharest, Romania
Laurentiu Razvan Dinu: National Research and Development Institute for Industrial Ecology—ECOIND, 57–73 Drumul Podu Dambovitei, District 6, 060652 Bucharest, Romania
Marius Bumbac: Faculty of Science and Arts, Valahia University of Targoviste, 13 Aleea Sinaia, 130004 Targoviste, Romania
Cristina Mihaela Nicolescu: Institute of Multidisciplinary Research for Science and Technology, Valahia University of Targoviste, 13 Aleea Sinaia, 130004 Targoviste, Romania

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 15, 1-25

Abstract: With increases in global population and urbanization, the production of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) is growing rapidly, thus contributing to social and environmental concerns for sustainable waste management. This study addresses the research gap in optimizing composting, hypothesizing that integrating best practices and recent innovations can enhance the efficiency of the process. Data were collected through a systematic review of existing literature using Google Scholar and Scopus databases. The review provides an overview of municipal organic waste composting, outlining its processes, benefits, and challenges with the aim of identifying key area of further improvement and possibilities of adopting recent technological innovations. The analysis emphasized that technological advances in composting, as microbial inoculants or in-vessel composting have greatly improved the efficiency and quality of the resulting compost. However, several challenges remain, including managing contaminants such as heavy metals and microplastics, ensuring the compost quality and safety and addressing socioeconomic barriers that prevent widespread adoption. Moreover, process optimization, environmental and economic evaluation, as well as political and public involvement are essential to unlock the whole potential of composting systems.

Keywords: nutrient recycling; organic waste composting; municipal waste management; sustainable resource utilization; soil amendment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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