ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an overview of the history of composting, philosophical aspects regarding the role of composting in the treatment of wastes and their ultimate beneficial use. The subject of composting can be subdivided into two major areas: the composting process and the compost product. Composting as a process involves the biological decomposition of organic matter. A considerable portion of domestic waste stream is amenable to composting. Yard waste and biosolids are organic and are easily composted. Sixty-eight percent of the municipal solid waste (MSW) stream is organic and therefore can be composted. Lead and other heavy metals will be reduced in MSW, result of removal of lead acid batteries, recycling of other batteries, and exclusion of other heavy metal sources from the waste stream Research on composting in the United States (US). Research on composting in the US appears to have begun in the 1880s.
