Page 9 - ingilizce

INTRODUCTION TO VERMICOMPOSTING

Increasing urbanisation, industrialisation and economic growth lead to the production of large

quantities of solid waste worldwide. The management of this solid waste has become an
ecological and technical problem. Sustainable solid waste management practices are

indispensable for keeping the environment healthy and clean [1]. The situation of solid waste

generation is worsening almost everywhere in the world. Studies indicate that by 2025, 1.8
million tonnes of solid waste per day will be generated in the Asia Pacific region alone [2].

According to different studies, an average of 0.77 kg of solid waste per person per day is

generated in developing countries. It is estimated that the world's solid waste generation will
increase to 3 billion tonnes by 2025 [3, 4].

The lack of appropriate technology for the economic recycling of solid waste in developing
countries has resulted in large quantities of solid waste that pose significant technical, economic

and environmental problems. Although there are many strategies for solid waste management,
including waste minimisation, recycling at source, waste-to-energy, incineration and

composting, it is known that some of these treatment and disposal methods can cause serious

environmental problems. There are numerous scientific studies showing that waste disposed in
landfills or open landfills causes groundwater contamination due to leaching of organic and

inorganic compounds in the waste [5–7]. Landfilling and incineration processes are not
preferred much considering their negative environmental impacts and low economic

contribution. Waste sludge from treatment plants used as fertiliser can cause toxicity to soil,
plants and soil microorganisms when applied directly to agricultural lands due to its high

nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) content.

Considering all these adverse conditions, vermicomposting, which enables the conversion of
solid wastes into organic-rich fertiliser, stands out as an ecologically sound and applicable

technology. Vermicomposting is a waste management technology that involves the

decomposition of the organic components of solid waste in an environmentally friendly manner
to a level where they can be easily stored, processed and applied to agricultural fields without

any negative impact [1, 5, 8]. Vermicomposting is a product of the collective work of
microorganisms and earthworms under environmentally controlled conditions. In summary, it

is a biotechnological process in which organic wastes are converted into nutrient-rich
vermicompost using earthworms. The microorganisms present in the system are responsible for

the biochemical breakdown of organic matter, while the earthworms are involved in improving

2