When is the compost finished?

There is no fixed time to produce finished compost. Duration depends on feedstocks, composting method
used and management. It can take as little as three  months and as long as

The Role of Composting

As it will be described in other chapters, composting has been used for many years
throughout the world in the stabilization of organic residues. Initially, in the management
of municipal solid waste (MSW), the emphasis was on composting the organic fraction
of MSW; sewage sludge (biosolids) was regarded principally as a source of nitrogen and
phosphorous, and to a lesser extent of potassium for enriching the organic matter and
thus promoting the compost process (Rodale, 1943; Truman, 1949; Golueke, 1950, 1953,
1972, 1977).