Composting from organic municipal solid waste: a sustainable tool for the environment and to improve grape quality

Abstract

Composting from organic municipal solid waste (MSW), such as a separate waste collection, is a valid tool for eliminating a considerable amount of waste that would otherwise be destined for landfills and incinerators, thus representing an effective complement to traditional forms of recycling. It allows organic substance to be recovered and reintegrated into the soil, thus preventing erosion phenomena, increasing the biological fertility of the soil and contributing significantly to the restoration of impoverished sites. Modern winegrowing must address the issue of vineyard fertility in the sustainability context. The goal of this study was to assess the advantages of distributing a sustainable product to the vineyard that can achieve vine balance (vegetative and productive equilibrium). In a Vitis vinifera L. Sangiovese cv., vineyard, four soil treatments were applied (three compost rates and a control): municipal solid waste compost (40 tons per hectare – MSW40, 15 tons per hectare – MSW15, 2.5 tons per hectare – MSW2.5), and no compost (CTRL). The vine physiology (leaf gas exchange and water potential) and berry compositions (phenolic and technological maturity) were studied during the 2018–2019 growing seasons in the Sieci area, Italy. The results of this experiment provide some general insights showing that MSW compost options can be expected to reduce water stress, balanced vine performance and provide sustainable recirculation of organic matter. MSW compost is a true agronomic and environmental resource.

Effect of Municipal Solid Waste Compost on Yield, Plant Growth and Nutrient Elements in Strawberry Cultivation

“…This increase in Zn value was obtained in 2% of MSWC applications; Zn value increased in 1% and 2% of MSWC applications but decreased in 4% of MSWC applications [57]. Cataldo et al [21] examined alternatives to MSWC applications at different doses (2.5, 15 and 40 tons ha −1 ) to provide sustainable crop yield and vegetative growth in vines. According to the 2019 data of Cataldo et al [21], micronutrients Fe, Zn and Cu are affected at MSWC application doses, and they reported that as the MSWC application dose increased, the Fe and Cu values also increased, and the highest values were obtained from 40 tons ha −1 of MSWC application compared to the control.…”

“…Cataldo et al [21] examined alternatives to MSWC applications at different doses (2.5, 15 and 40 tons ha −1 ) to provide sustainable crop yield and vegetative growth in vines. According to the 2019 data of Cataldo et al [21], micronutrients Fe, Zn and Cu are affected at MSWC application doses, and they reported that as the MSWC application dose increased, the Fe and Cu values also increased, and the highest values were obtained from 40 tons ha −1 of MSWC application compared to the control. In the Mn value, when compared to the control, the highest value was obtained from 15 tons ha −1 of MSWC application, according to the 2019 data of Cataldo et al [21].…”

“…There are studies in the literature on the use of MSWC in agricultural production. In these studies, it is reported that the use of MSWC alone or in combination with different plant nutrients (chemical or organic fertilizers) improves physical and chemical soil properties [17][18][19][20][21], positively affects plant growth [17,22,23] and increases product yield [17,19,24,25]. Ranjbar et al [24] reported in their study on rice that the use of chemical fertilizers with an MSWC of 45 tons ha −1 in rice production increased the macronutrients in the soil and rice yield (51.33%).…”

The Influence of Municipal Solid Waste Compost on the Tranformations of Phosphorus Forms in Soil

“…The application of natural organic waste materials to agricultural soils appears to be a valuable solution as a potential P source, mainly due to a sufficiently high abundance of phosphorus in the waste materials. The application of compost, formed by processing waste biomass including municipal waste, in agricultural practice is one of the particularly promising and profitable directions [5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13]. A particular strength of organic waste applications is that they have been shown to increase the bioavailable P content in soils [1,[14][15][16][17][18][19][20].…”

“…The mineralization and transformation of organic matter in the composting of organic waste, including municipal solid waste, provides a stable product that has high fertilising potential, which can improve the chemical and physical properties of cultivated soils and, consequently, can have a positive impact on soil quality [7,[26][27][28][29][30]. During the composting process, which involves the transformation of organic matter, there are also significant transformations in the P content and proportions between different P forms, which can have a significant impact on the suitability of such material as a source of P in soil.…”