Abstract

Attaining sustainability in waste management requires an option that employs environmental friendliness. Such a technique must be effective, efficient and less costly than many options. Solid waste management is an enormous task in developing nations all over the globe due to factors like poverty, population explosion, urbanization and lack of proper funding by the government. Disposal methods such as incinerator, landfill, pyrolysis and gasification are efficient but have negative impacts on the environment as well as threat to public health. Composting when properly handled is sustainable with various advantages such as production of biofertlizer, relatively low air and water pollution, low operational cost and income generation. The use of composting for bioremediation of contaminated soil has gained much ground in many developed countries of the world. However, composting when improperly designed could lead to methane production, odour emission and heavy metals build-up in the final product. Therefore, this study reviewed sustainability of composting and its numerous advantages over other waste disposal options in developing countries.