Compost

**Fundamentals:**
– Composting is an aerobic method of decomposing organic solid wastes.
– It can recycle organic material into compost, a good fertilizer for plants.
– Composting organisms need four key ingredients to work effectively.
– Carbon provides energy for the process and produces heat.
– High carbon materials are brown and dry.

**Benefits of Compost:**
– Compost provides nutrients to crops as fertilizer.
– Acts as a soil conditioner.
– Increases humus or humic acid contents in the soil.
– Introduces beneficial microbes that suppress pathogens.
– Reduces soil-borne diseases.

**Composting Process:**
– Composting requires a mix of greens (rich in nitrogen) and browns (rich in carbon).
– Greens include leaves, grass, and food scraps.
– Browns include stalks, paper, and wood chips.
– Materials break down into humus over months.
– The process can be multistep and closely monitored.

**Environmental Impact:**
– Composting is crucial for waste management.
– Food and compostable materials make up about 20% of landfill waste.
– Composting reduces methane emissions from landfills.
– Offers economic and environmental co-benefits.
– Can be used for land reclamation and landfill cover.

**Applications of Compost:**
– Compost can be used in gardens, landscaping, horticulture, and organic farming.
– Reduces dependency on chemical fertilizers.
– Can be used for land and stream reclamation.
– Useful in wetland construction.
– Effective as a landfill cover material.