Decentralized aerobic composting of urban solid wastes: Some lessons learned from Asian-EU cooperative research

Composting of organic solid wastes is gaining in importance worldwide, in the frame of integrated
municipal solid waste management and, in particular, the diversion of biodegradables from
landfilling. At the post-consumer stage, this can be achieved by composting practices ranging from
large-scale facilities to home (or yard) composting. Increasing costs for final disposal of MSW also
point towards the use of composting technology as an alternative. This paper presents some results
and conclusions from various small-scale composting activities implemented in Hanoi and Manila
under different socio-economic settings, as well as a case study on a larger-scale composting
scheme in the Prefecture of Pieria, Greece in the frame of a 2-year joint research project. It focuses
on recommendations towards the Asian partners on how to improve their composting processes, on
the basis of reviewing and assessing current composting practices in Vietnam and the Philippines,
as well as some remarks on cost parameters for the Hellenic case study.