Assessment of the Effect of Repetitive Municipal Solid Waste Compost Application on Soil Using Physico-chemical Analyses, Solid-phase Bioassays and Microbial Activity Characterization

Abstract

The long term impact of successive municipal solid waste compost(MSWC)amendments on soil was investigated using physico-chemical analyses, soil microbial activity characterization and direct solid-phase bioassays. Unvegetated soil plots had been yearly amended with different amounts of Tunisian MSWC and conventional farm manure(FM) for four consecutive years. Despite the changes in physico-chemical properties of organically amended soils, neither the amendment type nor the incorporated amount had significant effects on soil ecotoxicity, microbial growth and enzymatic activities at long-term.