NATURE
BESTOWS everything in due balance - the hill and the valleys,
the plains, the deserts, meandering rivers and the voluminous
oceans all bear testimony to the creation and the might of nature.
Our unplanned cities and the unchecked discharge of waste are
slowly clogging the environmental lungs of the earth.
We call the end product of our use as garbage, and dump it just
anywhere, as we strongly believe in NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard).
There are 21 major cities in the world and more than half of these
exist in Asia, where a large amount of organic biomass is being
wasted.
There is a tremendous demand for organic matter today. On the
one hand the soils are starving for want of organic matter while
on the other we are setting on fire agro-waste and urban-based
compostable wastes. One established solution to this problem of
satisfying the soil's demand as well as the problem of organic
waste management is composting.
Technology to enable composting is abundantly available in our
country. Ranging from the typical anaerobic composting to a variety
of aerobic composting procedures have been proved useful. Interested
citizens can compost their garbage within their premises.
The first step to handle waste is source segregation. Each household
should have at least two "waste bins" or "containers"
- one for the biodegradable and one for the non-biodegradable.
The non-biodegradable such as plastic, metal, glass, etc can be
stored and either sold for a price or given away to people who
can sell it and make some money. The biodegradable can easily
be composted.
For a household of 4 or 5 people the biodegradable waste generated
is about 100 to 150 gm per day. What you need is either a mudflower
pot or a plastic bucket or plastic/wooden crate (60cm x 30 cm
x 30 cm). Make 6 to 8 holes (each 5 mm diameter) in the base so
that water does not stay in the container. Similar holes may also
be prepared on the sides. If water stays or stagnates, then the
garbage will rot and produce a bad smell. Tyres can serve as an
alternative for container. By placing four worn out car-tyres
one above the other and you can have an efficient container.
Garden soil
At the bottom of the container spread a 5 cm layer of gravel,
followed by a thin layer (less than 5 cm) of coarse sand, and
(less than 5 cm) layer of garden soil. Shred the waste generated
at home, scatter on the soil layer and, if possible, spread a
soft layer of soil and continue to add every day. Loosen only
the organic matter once in a week or once in 10 days. Keep the
unit moist by watering it every day. After about 30 to 40 days,
you can notice that the compost is formed at the bottom layers
above the sand. You can then remove it and use it for the plants.
In the case of garden litter, even a wire mesh container can
serve the purpose.
In the same container for domestic waste composting introduce
about 50 earthworms after 30 to 40 days. These earthworms will
start eating away at the partially decomposed organic material
and generate worm castings or vermicastings.
These castings are excellent food for the plants. Each pot may
require about 100 gm of this manure and a tree about 1 to 10 kg
depending on its size and age.
It is important that for composting use only vegetable clippings
and peels. Once you get acquainted with the process, you can try
mixing other waste. It would be better to avoid too much of citric
peels such as lemon and orange. In case the unit goes sour and
smells turn it over and if necessary sprinkle some lime powder.
Care and caution
These units at times, due to the presence of banana peels,
etc may attract fruit flies called Drosophila. Hence the unit
has to be covered with a mosquito net. If kept in the open, the
unit will attract rats and birds; hence it is better to cover
it up with an ordinary mesh. Once we start reusing and recycling
then garbage is no more a "refuse" but a "resource".
Bulk garden composting has its own problems of dealing with insects
and reptiles and has to be handled with care.
