The importance of microbiology in waste management

Until a hundred years ago, the waste products from human activities were returned into the environment and underwent the biosphere's natural elimination processes without there being any long-term charge on the environment. During the last century, the increase in the amount of refuse has been accompanied by a decrease in its quality, mainly due to the production and dispersal of heavy metals and xenobiotic compounds. Both useful and noxious microbial processes have been underestimated in applied research in the field of waste management which, until now, has dealt mainly with artificial technologies. This paper presents some examples of microbiological processes occurring in waste treatment, particularly dumping, waste incineration, composting and biomethanization.