The use of green waste to overcome the difficulty in small-scale composting of organic household waste

Abstract

An attempt was made in the study to determine whether organic household waste containing food remnants (citrus fruit and vegetable peels, fat, dairy products, etc.) can be composted in home gardens. Kitchen waste was mixed with garden waste (bulking agent) at different proportions. Biodegradable waste was composted in two systems: in a pit dug in the ground and in a container. Fresh waste was supplied to the compost pile each week. The experiment was conducted from May to August 2014. The temperature inside the compost pile, ammonia emissions and moisture content were monitored throughout the experiment. The objective of this study was to determine the optimal kitchen waste to garden waste mixing ratio with regard to ammonia emissions and the temperature inside the compost pile. The C/N ratio or the porosity of composted material were not modified. The highest temperature was achieved in piles composed of 40% kitchen waste and 50% garden waste. The highest cumulative ammonia emissions were noted in pit and bin piles containing 0% bulking agent. The lowest cumulative ammonia emissions were observed in pit and bin piles containing 100% bulking agent and in bin piles containing 60% bulking agent, which helped reduce the odor of composting, thus contributing to a cleaner production process. The first phase of the composting process was completed in all piles after 8 weeks of the experiment. Ammonia emissions and accumulated temperature were calculated to compare the results obtained in each pile. The chemical composition of compost met the Polish quality standards for organic fertilizers.