The Effects of Agricultural Plastic Waste on the Vermicompost Process and Health Status of Eisenia fetida

Abstract

Nowadays, plastic materials are extensively used in the agri-food sector for multiple purposes. The end-of-life management of these plastics is an environmental challenge because frequent incomplete recoveries after the crop seasons lead to the accumulation of plastics debris in agricultural waste, which is now recognized as an emerging environmental issue of global concern. However, the effects of plastic debris in agricultural waste undergoing biotreatment have been poorly studied. This study assesses the effects of agricultural plastic waste (APW) (LDPE + LLDPE and EPS) (1.25% f.w.) on the vermicomposting process (45 days) in terms of earthworm health by measuring biomarker responses and the enzymatic activity and quality/stabilization of the vermicompost obtained. The results showed that exposure to all the plastic materials tested had negative morphological effects on earthworm survival and body biomass. In the vermicomposting process, the changes detected in the enzymatic activity of the vermicompost and the biofilm seemed to affect the degradation rate of earthworms and the microbiome of the substrate, as demonstrated by the low organic matter mineralization in the vermicompost exposed to plastic. Although no significant changes were recorded in several biomarkers, signs of oxidative stress were evidenced throughout the glutathione S-transferase and carboxylesterase activity, mainly involving balanced oxidative stress and xenobiotic resistance systems.