Improper disposal of solid waste is one of the main causes of environmental pollution. Converting solid waste into compost and using it as an organic fertilizer in agriculture are an effective waste management method. Quality of such fertilizer may affect both human and environmental health. Therefore, in this study, compost from the compost plant of Sanandaj City was analyzed for its physical-chemical characteristics and the results were compared with the standards. In this descriptive-analytical study, compost samples were collected throughout a 3-month period in spring season at intervals of 15 days (2 samples in each sampling) for chemical analysis. In the present study, parameters such as pH, organic matter, EC, carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, sodium, potassium, arsenic, lead, cadmium, mercury and chromium were studied. According to the results, the mean pH, EC, organic matter, carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, sodium and potassium were 7.657, 8.883 ds/m, 37.793%, 26.46%, 2.50%, 0.424%, 0.685 and 0.67%, respectively. The average concentrations of heavy metals were 0.398, 95, 1.575, <0.5 and 40.275 mg/kg for arsenic, lead, cadmium, mercury and chromium, respectively. Results from this study were compared with the standards set for compost. Organic matter content, sodium, arsenic, mercury and chromium were almost within the acceptable ranges. Lead and cadmium concentrations were lower than the standard. But, the values of pH and EC, the percentages of carbon and nitrogen, and also the amounts of phosphorus and potassium were in accordance with the standards. The results of this study show that the quality of the produced compost in the studied plant is almost acceptable.
