Uses of compost

Compost is a versatile product resulting from composting - the biodegradation of organic waste, industrially, commercially or domestically produced. Composting can be carried out at the household level, in garden composters or in composting toilets, or at municipal level at centralised composting plants. The method of producing the compost has an influence on its possible uses in terms of quantity and quality considerations.

The basic use of compost is conditioning and fertilizing soil by the addition of humus, nutrients and beneficial soil bacteria, with a wide range of specific applications.

Agriculture

On the open ground, for growing wheat, corn, soybeans, and similar crops, compost can be broadcast across the top of the soil using spreader trucks or spreaders pulled behind a tractor. It is expected that the spread layer is very thin (approximately 6 mm (0.25 in.)) and worked into the soil prior to planting. However, application rates of 25 mm (one in.) or more are not unusual when trying to rebuild poor soils or control erosion. Due to the extremely high cost of compost per unit of nutrients in the western world (such as USA) on-farm use is relatively rare since rates over 4 tons/acre can not be afforded. This is unfortunate and results from over-emphasis on "recycling organic matter" than on "sustainable nutrients". In other countries such as Germany, where compost distribution and spreading are partially subsidized in the original waste fees, compost is used more frequently on open ground, but only on the premise of nutrient "sustainability"