Sustainable Solutions for Urban Garden Waste: The Role of Inoculum-Based Composting

The rapid expansion of urban populations and green spaces has intensified challenges in managing municipal solid waste (MSW), particularly garden waste (GW), which is difficult to process due to its fibrous lignocellulosic structure and low nutrient content. Conventional disposal methods like landfilling and incineration are resource-intensive and contribute to environmental degradation through greenhouse gas emissions. Composting, especially when supplemented with microbial inoculants, offers a sustainable and efficient alternative. These inoculants—comprising bacteria, fungi, and actinomycetes—accelerate the breakdown of organic matter, enhance humus formation, and produce compost enriched with plant-available nutrients. The resulting product not only improves soil health but also helps manage increasing GW volumes in space-constrained urban settings. While practical implementation faces challenges such as limited public awareness, technological constraints, and policy gaps, the growing emphasis on circular economy principles and advances in microbial technologies offer significant potential for scaling. Inoculum-based composting thus represents a promising and resilient approach to urban GW management.