Green compost production from vegetable waste separately collected in metropolitan garden-produce markets

Experiments were carried out to evaluate the possibility of recovering and recycling vegetable waste originally collected in an urban garden-produce market. These organic putrescible residues were biologically stabilized through composting in an aerated static pile in order to obtain humified organic matter (green compost) to be used as agricultural soil conditioner. Performances of the composting system adopted together with physicochemical characteristics of the starting material and the final product are reported here. Some microbiological and phytotoxicological details concerning this green compost production are also given