Comparative evaluation of four household food‑waste composting systems for decentralized circular waste management

Abstract

Abstract The study evaluated four household food waste composting systems using replicated trials ( n = 3 per device) with standardized feedstock loads to compare temperature dynamics, physicochemical parameters, compost maturity, and microbiological safety. Although electric units automated mixing and heating, they did not achieve faster overall stabilization, and all devices produced semistabilized material requiring extended curing. Economic and environmental assessments indicated trade‑offs between operational costs, energy use, and waste diversion potential. Screening of culturable isolates did not reveal antibiotic‑resistant strains, though this does not exclude their presence in uncultured microbial fractions. The results highlight the need for additional maturation steps and context‑specific adoption strategies for decentralized circular waste management.