The bacterially mediated aerobic thermophilic stage in composting is generally
followed by a maturation stage involving the action of various earthworms. Modern
reactor-based technology for composting has reduced residence times for the composting
stage from weeks to ca. 72 h, and the maturation stage from months to weeks, while new
developments in vermiculture have also allowed single-stage vermiculture to be conducted
on a large scale. For industrialised compost production, effective mechanical removal of
nonbiodegradable matter from solid waste feedstocks has greatly enhanced the attractiveness
of such processes and will, no doubt, also impact favourably on vermiculture. Even
so, the tendency to incorporate animal slurries and sewage sludge into many solid waste
feedstocks for both composting and vermiculture must be questioned until the hygienisation
potentials of such processes have been fully elucidated.