Editing Compost (section)

{{Short description|Mixture used to improve soil fertility}}
{{Redirect-distinguish|Composting|Compositing}}
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{{Distinguish|Manure|Potting soil{{!}}Potting compost}}
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[[File:Compost site germany.JPG|thumb|upright=1.3|Community-level composting in a rural area in [[Germany]]]]

'''Compost''' is a mixture of ingredients used as plant fertilizer and to improve [[soil]]'s physical, chemical, and biological properties. It is commonly prepared by [[Decomposition|decomposing]] plant and food waste, recycling organic materials, and manure. The resulting mixture is rich in plant nutrients and [[beneficial organism]]s, such as bacteria, protozoa, nematodes, and fungi. Compost improves soil fertility in [[garden]]s, [[landscaping]], [[horticulture]], [[urban agriculture]], and [[organic farming]], reducing dependency on commercial chemical fertilizers.<ref name=":4">{{cite web |last= |first= |date=17 April 2013 |title=Reduce, Reuse, Recycle - US EPA |url=https://www.epa.gov/recycle/composting-home |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170208003610/https://www.epa.gov/recycle/composting-home |archive-date=8 February 2017 |access-date=12 July 2021 |website=US EPA}}</ref> The benefits of compost include providing nutrients to crops as [[fertilizer]], acting as a [[soil conditioner]], increasing the [[humus]] or [[Humic acids|humic acid]] contents of the soil, and introducing beneficial microbes that help to suppress pathogens in the soil and reduce soil-borne diseases.

At the simplest level, composting requires gathering a mix of [[green waste]] (nitrogen-rich materials such as leaves, grass, and food scraps) and [[brown waste]] (woody materials rich in carbon, such as stalks, paper, and wood chips).<ref name=":4" /> The materials break down into humus in a process taking months.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Kögel-Knabner |first1=Ingrid |author1-link=Ingrid Kögel-Knabner|last2=Zech |first2=Wolfgang |last3=Hatcher |first3=Patrick G. |date=1988 |title=Chemical composition of the organic matter in forest soils: The humus layer |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jpln.19881510512 |journal=Zeitschrift für Pflanzenernährung und Bodenkunde |language=en |volume=151 |issue=5 |pages=331–340 |doi=10.1002/jpln.19881510512 |issn=0044-3263}}</ref> Composting can be a multistep, closely monitored process with measured inputs of water, air, and carbon- and nitrogen-rich materials. The [[decomposition]] process is aided by shredding the plant matter, adding water, and ensuring proper aeration by regularly turning the mixture in a process using open piles or [[windrow]]s.<ref name=":4" /><ref name=":5">{{Cite web|title=The Science of Composting|url=http://web.extension.illinois.edu/homecompost/science.cfm|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160217221013/http://web.extension.illinois.edu/homecompost/science.cfm|archive-date=17 February 2016|website=Composting for the Homeowner|publisher=University of Illinois}}</ref> [[Fungi]], [[earthworm]]s, and other [[detritivore]]s further break up the organic material. [[Aerobic bacteria]] and fungi manage the chemical process by converting the inputs into heat, [[carbon dioxide]], and [[ammonium]] ions.
[[File:Composter (compost bin) made from hollow log (Kõrvemaa, Estonia, 2023).png|thumb|Composter made from a hollow log]]
Composting is an important part of waste management, since food and other compostable materials make up about 20% of waste in landfills, and due to anaerobic conditions, these materials take longer to biodegrade in the landfill.<ref>{{Cite web|date=16 October 2019|title=Do Biodegradable Items Degrade in Landfills?|url=https://www.thoughtco.com/do-biodegradable-items-really-break-down-1204144|url-status=live|access-date=2021-07-13|website=ThoughtCo|language=en|archive-date=9 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210609123954/https://www.thoughtco.com/do-biodegradable-items-really-break-down-1204144}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2015-08-12|title=Reducing the Impact of Wasted Food by Feeding the Soil and Composting|url=https://www.epa.gov/sustainable-management-food/reducing-impact-wasted-food-feeding-soil-and-composting|url-status=live|access-date=2021-07-13|website=Sustainable Management of Food|publisher=US EPA|language=en|archive-date=15 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190415103259/https://www.epa.gov/sustainable-management-food/reducing-impact-wasted-food-feeding-soil-and-composting}}</ref> Composting offers an environmentally superior alternative to using organic material for landfill because composting reduces [[methane emissions]] due to anaerobic conditions, and provides economic and environmental co-benefits.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-10-15|title=Composting to avoid methane production|url=https://www.agric.wa.gov.au/climate-change/composting-avoid-methane-production|url-status=live|access-date=2021-11-16|website=www.agric.wa.gov.au|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180909103755/https://www.agric.wa.gov.au/climate-change/composting-avoid-methane-production |archive-date=9 September 2018 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Compost |url=https://regeneration.org/nexus/compost |access-date=2022-10-21 |website=Regeneration.org |language=en}}</ref> For example, compost can also be used for land and stream reclamation, wetland construction, and landfill cover.

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