PROPOSAL OF A COMPOSTING SYSTEM FOR THE REUSE OF ORGANIC SOLID WASTE GENERATED IN A FEDERAL INSTITUTION OF EDUCATION

Abstract

The high generation of solid waste is one of the major problems faced by today's society because, when disposed improperly, it can cause negative impacts on the environment. Organic solid waste - OSW corresponds to about 50% of the total of urban waste, which can be recovered when disposed properly. Composting, which represents the controlled decomposition of organic matter by the action of microorganisms, is a low cost and high efficiency environmentally friendly alternative for the treatment of OSW. Thus, this study aimed to propose a composting system to treat the OSW generated in the restaurant of a federal educational institution. For this, a bibliographic review was carried out to understand the parameters of composting and how it could be implemented, taking into account the institution's particularities. A field research was also conducted, visiting other sectors of the campus, with the purpose of obtaining data regarding the OSW generated in the other activities of the institution and their current applied destination. After this survey, three different composting systems were proposed, namely: i) windrows composting; ii) in composters made from wooden pallets; and iii) vermicomposting. Considering the analyzed scenarios, the windrows composting system proved to be more viable. According to this study, it was possible to demonstrate that the implementation of composting on this campus would help the institution to suit itself environmentally, complying with the current legislation, and would valorize the residues that, in the form of stabilized compost, could be reused as a nutritional complement of the soil on site.