Managing contaminants to minimize exposure is often more feasible than complete elimination.
Everyday consumer products, household materials, and industrial effluent introduce contaminants including pharmaceuticals, PFAS, plastics, and heavy metals into the waste stream. These contaminants subsequently end up in organic residuals and can result in high concentrations in soils following land application.
Many metals and metalloids are present in trace amounts in the soil and water.
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a wide class of long-lasting manmade chemical compounds, "forever chemicals", that have been highlighted due to concerns for human health, agriculture production, and environmental health.
While some pesticides (e.g., herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides) can break down during the composting process, there are many that cannot.
A lot of plastic ends up at solid waste facilities where it might be recycled or often times landfilled or incinerated.