Home Composting - Rules, Conditions, New Solutions

Abstract The management of composting home bio-waste at the place of their formation leads to several benefits. Among them are: minimising the amount of waste sent to landfills, decreasing the costs associated with transporting them to disposal sites, and reducing the need for new facilities dedicated to this purpose. A further advantage of home composting is the better segregation of waste compared to industrial composting, there is less accidental contamination by plastic, glass, or metal waste, which is a key requirement for a proper biodegradation process. However, despite to many benefits of home composting, the method is still controversial. The first part of the paper briefly characterises the key parameters for an effective home composting process, i.e.: temperature, air porosity, oxygenation, and moisture content. It is also widely considered and discussed the problem of reasons why home composters do not reach the temperature values considered necessary for the sterilisation of waste. Potential needs to reach the same high temperatures in home composting as in industrial composting are also discussed. The next part of the paper presents some technical solutions currently used in home composters to improve the process of biodegradation of waste and to make them easier to use. The final section addresses the quality of home compost and the issues around correctly assessing its maturity and stability.