Transcript Home Composting Options

HOME COMPOSTING
OPTIONS
Almitra H Patel
Member, Supreme Court Committee
for Solid Waste Management in
Class 1 Cities in India
[email protected]
www.almitrapatel.com
YOU CAN SOLVE YOUR CITY’s
WASTE PROBLEM !
Just compost your own kitchen waste
daily instead of sending it out to
polluting dumps in nearby villages.
Help yourself too, with the joy of a
kitchen garden or flowerbed in homemade compost.
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VILLAGE PIT COMPOSTING
If there is enough garden area, dig a pit
(thippe) and add a little waste into it daily
in max 2” deep layers every day.
Adding 5% fresh cowdung solution in water
helps. Add pet animal droppings also to
speed up composting and enrich it.
Or add ready-to-use composting biocultures,
which reduce smell. Cover the pit with
stone slabs with a small covered opening
for adding daily waste in small quantities. 3
COVERED PIT COMPOSTING
One pit of size
1m x 1m x 2m
deep can last
one family of 4
for one year.
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ONE – TREE TRENCH COMPOSTING
In small plots with only one coconut
tree or other tree or bush, dig a
shallow trench around it.
Pile the day’s kitchen waste till ground
level in one spot in the trench and
cover it with excavated soil. Place
next day’s waste next to it and cover.
Return to first spot after about 10 days
or more. Water LIGHTLY ! Cover the
freshest buried waste with a piece of
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weldmesh to keep out dogs or cats.
TREE TRENCH COMPOSTING
A 1’ wide 1’ deep
trench of 6 ft dia is
~20 ft long. 1 day’s
waste will occupy
Less than 2 ft of
trench length.
You can dig up the
same spot as early
as 10 days later.
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COMPOUND WALL COMPOSTING
IN GROUP HOUSING
Grow a narrow strip of plants or hedge all
along the compound wall. Dig a short shallow
narrow trench between hedge and wall.
Fill up a portion of trench with day’s waste of
one or many apartments & heap soil over it
Fill up second day’s waste just beside the first
and cover with soil. Water the hedge or plants,
not the trench. Leave undisturbed.
It may take weeks or months before you need to
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return to the same spot in the trench.
COMPOUND WALL COMPOSTING
A 60 ft x 80 ft plot will
have 2780 feet length
of wall excluding gate.
A trench 1 ft deep x 1 ft
wide needs 40 ft of
length for 20 families.
You can return to same
spot in trench after
two months.
Hedge gets automatic
fertiliser at no cost.
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HIGH-RISE TERRACE COMPOSTING
See www.credaicleancity.in
In Kochi, high-rise buildings, use biobins on
the terraces of each block for zero-waste
apartments.
Each pair of biobins can compost 40 kg of
plastics-free kitchen waste (from about 40
families) within a month. The existing staff
can spend 30 minutes a day moving waste
from one end to the other for aeration.
Use sieved compost in hsg society garden. 9
TERRACE COMPOSTING in BIO-BINS
40 apts need two
bio-bins
Area reqd about
12 ft x 15 ft
One-time cost Rs
1,500 per apt +
roofing, incl tools
& 6 month supply
of bio-culture +
compost starter.
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GROUP COMPOSTING IN SLUMS
Use a perforated plastic drum with small
holes in bottom and sides and a rainproof
lid. Raise it on blocks 1 ft off the ground to
allow air circulation. 5-6 families can share
1 drum by adding their day’s kitchen waste
in a thin layer max 2” deep. Air can reach
the surface layer & no stirring is necessary.
Compost is ready in 6-8 weeks to share & fill
plastic pots (hanging or on ground) to grow
daily needs of kothmir, methi etc.
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SHARED-BARREL COMPOSTING
One 100-litre barrel
can permanently
serve 5 low-income
families.
When emptying drum,
leave it at least 1/3rd
full with old compost
to absorb leachate &
act as starter for
added fresh waste.
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HOME VERMICULTURE IN POTS
Vermiculture in 1meter dia cement
rings or very large
flowerpots is also
an option. Persons
familiar with rearing
earthworms should
manage this. Ask Dr
Radha Kale at Mt
Carmel’s for advice.
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COMPOSTING FALLEN LEAVES
BURNIING IS BANNED !
Make a heap of leaves
on ground. Sprinkle
with old compost or a
5% solution of fresh
cowdung in water.
Turn twice a month for
2 months before use.
Can make higher and
concealed heap inside a
6 ft circle of weldmesh.
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