The carbon to nitrogen (C/N) ratio can provide information on the capacity of an organic input to be transformed into humus [1 - 3], but it is not sufficient in some cases [4]. The lignin/nitrogen (Lig/N) ratio is another parameter used when modelling the transformation of organic materials [5]. An alternative estimate of degradability is the percentage of organic matter which is potentially resistant to mineralization over a long period of time. This estimate of the potentially humified organic matter (PHOM), calculated from an established equation based on the chemical composition, is normalised [7]. Quality indicators to determine the total carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and lignin content are expensive and time-consuming. In this study we attempted to predict the PHOM index, the lignin/N ratio and the C/N ratio directly by near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy as a measure of the potential degradability of organic waste.