Compost is a mixture of ingredients used as plant fertilizer and to improve soil’s physical, chemical, and biological properties. It is commonly prepared by decomposing plant and food waste, recycling organic materials, and manure. The resulting mixture is rich in plant nutrients and beneficial organisms, such as bacteria, protozoa, nematodes, and fungi. Compost improves soil fertility in gardens, landscaping, horticulture, urban agriculture, and organic farming, reducing dependency on commercial chemical fertilizers The benefits of compost include providing nutrients to crops as fertilizer, acting as a soil conditioner, increasing the humus or humic acid contents of the soil, and introducing beneficial microbes that help to suppress pathogens in the soil and reduce soil-borne diseases.

Composting involves the collection and processing of the organic fractions of municipal solid waste including plant materials such as leaf and yard waste, and fish and food waste.

Composting is a method of waste management involving biological degradation and stabilization of organic matter under aerobic conditions. Use of high temperatures and oxygen encourages optimal growth of thermophilic microflora to breakdown organic materials. Traditional open composting involves the periodic turning of windrows (piles of biodegradable waste in long rows), typically by front-end loaders.