Kitchen waste composting aids in reduction of GHGs emissions

Abstract

The emission of greenhouse gases (GHG’s) into the atmosphere due to anthropogenic activities including disposal of large quantities of organic kitchen waste into the environment exacerbates global warming and contributes to climate change. A laboratory incubation experiment was conducted at 20^oC at University of Agriculture Faisalabad. The study involved five treatments, each containing fresh fruit and vegetable peels as well as their compost, applied at a rate of 5 g kg^− 1 soil. The treatments were distributed according to complete randomized design (CRD). A single control treatment with no alterations was also upheld for the duration of study. The findings of present investigation demonstrated a substantial increase in cumulative C-CO₂ emissions attributable to potato peel (597 ± 1 mg C kg^− 1 soil) and compost (542 ± 3 mg C kg^− 1 soil) relative to other treatments, as a result of their pronounced decomposition within the soil. The microbial biomass carbon (MBC) exhibited higher levels in banana compost (1055. 67 ± 36 mg C kg^− 1 soil) and potato compost (983 ± 42 mg C kg^− 1 soil) when compared to the remaining treatments. The addition of compost mixture containing banana and potato peels resulted in a significant increase in soil extracellular enzyme activities The application of banana and potato compost has been found to have a positive impact on the macroaggregates of soil, leading to an increase in soil stability due to the compost's ability to stabilize soil particles. The findings of the present study indicate that composting represents the most effective approach for mitigating greenhouse gas emissions originating from kitchen organic waste, while also enhancing the biological and physicochemical characteristics of soil.