Introduction to Solid Waste Decomposition

Abstract

Solid waste provides both substrate and substratum for the growth and succession of diverse microbial communities. Landfills, composting facilities, and anaerobic digesters are unique ecosystems for the development of complex microbial communities. The diversity of microorganisms that colonize refuse and grow under the conditions of solid waste disposal in landfills, digesters, and composters is only beginning to be appreciated. Microbial communities in landfills and anaerobic digesters include hydrolytic and fermentative bacteria, acetogens, methanogens, sulfate reducers, and protozoa. Optimization of microbial activity in decomposing refuse has important economic implications. Tapping of methane from landfills and anaerobic digesters can provide a marketable endproduct in the form of energy. Solid waste is characterized by the presence of an abundance of degradable carbon, and solid waste microbiology is influenced by the nature of this carbon. Municipal solid waste management may include a number of processes including collection, separation, treatment, and disposal.