A pilot-scale study was undertaken to evaluate alternatives to the solid waste management of a Central American municipal market located in Esteli, Nicaragua. The municipal solid waste from the local market is the second largest contributor to the municipal solid waste (MSW) stream. Waste from the market without any previous sorting or treatment is open dumped. The options evaluated in this study were windrow composting, windrow composting with yard waste, bokashi and vermicompost. Significant differences between the properties of composts produced were found; however, all of them reduce the initial waste volume and are potential useful agronomic products for a survival agrarian milieu. (C) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.