COMPOSTING OF FOOD WASTE, WASTE PAPER AND MILK CARTON, AND CULTIVATION IN READY COMPOST

Food waste from a hospital was composted with waste paper, milk carton and topsoil in different combinations. The ready compost reflected the high content of N, P, K, S, Cl, Na and K in the food waste and that of Mg in the soil. There was a great deal of Ca in all the raw materials. The topsoil's content of heavy metals was decisive for the levels in the ready compost: these levels were very low. The leachate was strongly polluted, but the run-off was negligible. The loss of nitrogen was at least 50%. Cultivation tests with tomato showed that the plants responded well in a diluted ready compost of paper, and that there were distinct toxic symptoms on plants in the compost made of milk carton.