Abstract
Municipal solid waste (MSW) management has become a critical problem for city environment. The
amount of MSW increases with increase of population. A number of procedures can be adopted for
healthy disposal of MSW. Composting of biodegradable part of MSW is a reliable measure for sustainable
recycling of these wastes. In the present study MSW is treated with Effective Microorganisms (EM)
inoculum to convert it into Bio-fertilizer. The EM inoculums were applied in different proportions in a
greenhouse experiment. The bio-fertilizer thus prepared, was applied to cotton crop in pots to study its
effects on different growth parameters. The application treatments included control (no fertilizer), compost
(without EM), 1%, 5%, and 10% EM-bio-fertilizer. The best positive results were obtained with 5% EM
bio-fertilizer application. The use of bio-fertilizer resulted in the highest number of bolls and plant height.
EM-bio-fertilizer not only increased the nutritional assimilation of plant (total N, P and K), but also
improved soil properties such as organic matter content and total N, P, K in soil.
