Advantages and Disadvantages of Composting

Composting is a natural method of breaking down organic matter and recycling it to create a soil amendment rich in humus through the alternating action of fungi, bacteria such as actinomycetes, and earthworms. There are many common materials that can be composted on-site, which include food waste, grass clippings and leaves, plants, straws, plant trimmings, animal manure, shredded paper, and municipal solid wastes. The end product is a stable dark brown or black humus substance with a sour, earthy scent. As with other recycling initiatives, composting can bring many benefits to the environment, agriculture, economy, and even the general public. However, composts do have disadvantages for environmental and agricultural practices in the event that they are treated or utilized in improper conditions.

Potential Uses and Users of Finished Compost

The composts prepared for use can be utilized by the following people:

1. Residential and agricultural user groups use it for soil amendment, fertilizer supplement, top dressing for pastures or hay plant maintenance, and mulching fruit trees.
2. Commercial user groups used it as soil amendments for the establishment of turf, landscape plants and beds, potting mix components, topsoil substitute, peat substitutes, and mulch fertilizer supplements.
3. Municipal User Groups use it to create soil cover, topsoil for road construction and road work, and soil amendment mulch for landscaping.

Advantages of composting

Compost has been thought of as a useful soil amendment for many years. The majority of people are aware that composts are an effective method to boost the health of plants, save money, decrease the need for chemical fertilizers, and help conserve natural resources. Compost offers an organic matter that is stable and enhances soil's physical, chemical, and biological characteristics, improving the quality of soil and increasing crop production. If properly applied, compost can have the following positive impacts on soil properties making the soil suitable for root growth, increasing yield, and the quality of crops. The advantages of Composting are mentioned below-

1) Enhances the Physical Properties of Soils

Reduces the soil bulk density and improves the soil structure directly by loosening heavy soils with organic matter and indirectly by means of aggregate-stabilizing humus contained in composts. Integrating composts into compacted soils can improve root penetration and turf growth.

Enhances the capacity to hold water in the soil by binding organic matter to water and, indirectly, by improving the soil's structure, thereby improving the absorption of and the movement of water into the soil. Thus, the need for water and irrigation can be cut down.

Protects the soil's surface from wind and water erosion by decreasing the action of soil dispersion by raindrops beating against the soil, increasing the infiltration rate, as well as reducing water runoff and increasing the surface wetness. It is vital to prevent erosion to safeguard waterways as well as maintain the efficiency and quality of the soil.

Helps in bringing the soil particles into crumbs through the actinomycetes mycelia, or fungi that are found in compost and activated in the soil through its application, usually improving the strength of the soil in the face of erosion by wind and water.

Improves soil aeration and ensures that the soil is oxygenated to the roots. It also eliminates carbon dioxide that is trapped in the root.

It increases the temperature of the soil directly due to its dark color, which enhances heat absorption through the soil. It also increases heat absorption indirectly through better soil structure.

Helps regulate soil temperature and helps prevent extreme fluctuations in soil temperature, which creates ideal soil for root growth. This is particularly true for compost that is used for mulch on the surface.

2) Improves the Chemical Properties of Soils

Helps soils hold more plant nutrients and improves the Cation exchange capacity (CEC) and anion exchange capacity (AEC) as well as the capacities for buffering of soils over longer durations after the application of composts to soils. This is especially important for soils that have little organic matter and clay.

Produces nutrients in the soil. Composts are a major source of nutrients needed by all plants: N, P, K and calcium (Ca), magnesium(Mg), and S] as well as essential trace elements or micronutrients like copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), Boron (B) and molybdenum (Mb).

The nutrients from mature composts are released to plants slowly and steadily. The benefits last for longer than one season.

It stabilizes the volatile nitrogen of raw materials to form large protein particles when composting, which reduces the loss of nitrogen.

Offers active agents, such as growth factors, that could be beneficial for germinating plants.

It also adds organic matter and humus that help improve soil health.

The soil buffers itself against the rapid changes caused by acidity, alkalinity and salinity, pesticides, and harmful heavy metals.

3) Enhances soil's Biological Properties

Provides food and stimulates the development of beneficial microorganisms as well as earthworms.

Aids in fighting certain plant diseases, soilborne diseases, and parasites.

Studies have shown that composts are able to help fight the spread of plant disease (e.g., Pythium root rot, Rhizoctonia roots rot chili wilt and parasitic nematodes) and decrease the losses of crops. A large California grower of fruits and vegetables could reduce pesticide usage by 80% following three years of applying compost in an organic matter control program. Studies have also revealed that some composts, specifically ones made from tree bark, release chemical compounds that can inhibit certain pathogens in plants. Control of diseases by compost is attributed to four different mechanisms:

1. The successful competition with beneficial microorganisms for nutrients
2. The production of antibiotics by beneficial microorganisms
3. Successful predation of bacteria by beneficial microorganisms
4. Activation of genes that are resistant to disease in plants through composts
5. The extreme temperatures caused by composting kills pathogens. Eliminates weed seeds through various factors, including the temperature that the compost heap experiences, the rotting process, and premature germination.

4) Pollution Remediation

Absorbs odors and breaks down the volatile organic compound.

Binds heavy metals to prevent them from transferring into water sources or being absorbed by plants.

Degrades and, in certain instances, completely removes petroleum-based products, wood preservatives, pesticides, and chlorinated, as well as monochlorinated hydrocarbons found in soils that have been contaminated.

5) Pollution Prevention

Eliminates methane production and the formation of leachate in landfills by reusing organics to compost.

Absorbs odors and neutralizes volatile organic compounds. Keeps stormwater pollutants out of runoff from reaching the water sources and helps protect groundwater quality.

Reduces the risk of erosion and loss of turf on hillsides, roadsides, playing fields, and golf courses.

Eliminates odors from agricultural areas.

Composting manure from raw sources can help reduce the possibility of nuisance or environmental issues. Manure that is raw is among the main causes of pollution of waterways, and the smell that farms emit is thought to be a major issue in rural areas.

6) Composting could bring a variety of economic benefits to communities

It prolongs the life of landfills currently in use and delays building a costlier new landfill. It also allows for the construction of an incinerator or replacement.

Reduces or eliminates landfill and the combustor tipping fee, and helps reduce costs for disposal of waste and transportation costs for long distances.

New jobs are created for citizens.

Offers marketable products as well as an alternative that is less expensive than standard landfill covers, artificial soil amendments, and traditional bioremediation methods.

Provides nutrients to plants and increases soil fertility. It can result in substantial savings on costs by cutting down on the use of pesticides, water, fungicides, herbicides, and nematodes.

It is a viable alternative to natural topsoil for new construction, landscaping, landscape restorations, and container gardens. Making use of composts in these types of situations is not only more affordable than buying topsoil but will often yield better results when it comes to establishing an organic vegetative cover.

It is used as a mulch for orchards, trees landscaping, lawns, and gardens, and it also makes the perfect soil mix for potting. If placed on the plant's roots, compost mulch saves the water in the soil and also stabilizes temperatures. It also keeps the plants healthy by removing herbicides, allowing for a slow release of nutrients and also preventing soil loss due to erosion.

Disadvantages of composting

Although composting is among the most efficient methods of maintaining and increasing gardening soil and has a few other benefits, it comes with some disadvantages of its own. This section will highlight some of the negatives of composting-

1) It requires an initial investment

Equipment like a composting bin and other equipment may be needed to start the process. But they won't be expensive, and in addition, you get to save money that otherwise would have been used on fertilizer.

2) Its effectiveness is contingent on the quantity of organic waste

The effectiveness of your compost could depend on the amount of waste generated. If, for instance, the fact that only a small amount of organic food waste is generated, then the work involved in the process of making compost will not align with the benefits, i.e., it won't be worth the effort at all.

3) Composting creates a smell that is unpleasant

Different kinds of smells are produced during the composting process, dependent on the type and amount of food scraps that are organic. The smell can be extremely uncomfortable and may affect the quality of life for those who live in the areas in which the compost is.

Try to avoid certain kinds of food that can create huge quantities of unpleasant gas while composting. Plant waste is more beneficial in this regard as the smell isn't harmful and will not be unpleasant.

4) Snakes, rats, and bugs could be attracted by it

This is a further disadvantage of composting. The process of composting attracts different species of animals that could cause harm to humans, including snakes. So, make sure you are cautious when constructing your compost bin in order to stop these animals from getting into it.

5) Many hours of work are involved

Composting is a lot of work, like moving the compost every few times each week in order to ensure that the air circulates properly. In addition, the amount of specific physical tasks could increase over time, based upon the quantity of compost.

6) It requires time

Composting isn't something that occurs overnight. It takes patience to happen. Until food waste is transformed into compost, it is not useful until then. Based on the type of input materials utilized, the process of composting could last from a month up to a full year until the organic matter is fully broken down and is ready to use as fertilizer or for soil conditioning.

7) A lot of space is needed

Composting requires a lot of space, and therefore it is not suitable for everyone, particularly people with space limitations. In order to complete the composting process, it is best to live in a house that has enough space around it or, perhaps, a spacious apartment with an outdoor balcony.

8) Composting isn't suitable for all organic waste

Certain organic wastes are not suitable for composting, e.g., meat. The use of meat in composting could draw a lot of insects and animals, which you would not want within your yard. Therefore, composting might be only suitable for specific types of organic food waste and not for others.