Agricultural Research Journal

In contrast to balanced closed-loop characteristics of natural ecosystems, urban and peri-urban ecosystems are linear, open and highly imbalanced causing excessive accumulation of carbon and mineral elements and affecting the biological components and their functions in the environment. About 165 thousand tonnes of solid wastes and 61754 million litres of wastewater are being released into the environment every day due to the activities of urban populations from 8000 cities and towns in India, and most of these are not treated properly to remove the harmful components. Although carbon is a major component in both the types of wastes from urban area, wastewater borne C has higher sequestration potential in agroecosystem. Considerable plant nutrients present in urban wastes have the potential to be recycled back to the agroecosystem. However, presence of several toxic organic compounds and heavy metals pose threats to organisms including humans during their use as agricultural inputs. This review article discusses critically on the interactions of waste constituents with soil matrices, the potential benefits and threats with the use of urban wastes in agriculture and also recommends appropriate measures to be taken by different concerned stakeholders for minimizing the adverse consequences during their beneficial recycling.