Don’t throw out that kitchen waste! It could make money for you!
Scientists from the department of soil science and agricultural chemistry, University of Agricultural Sciences (UAS), Bangalore have devised a method whereby kitchen waste could be turned into compost that could be used to grow plants in your balcony, or be even sold.
Drum composting is the method of collection, digestion and decomposition of wet waste from domestic kitchens, vegetable markets, schools, colleges,offices, agriculture, agro-based industrial wastes, into compost.
“There are two types of drum composting: Drum vermicomposting and drum bio-composting,’’ says HC Prakash, professor, department of soil science and agricultural chemistry at UAS.
According to him, on an average an individual produces about 250-400 gm of wet wastes. “For about Rs5,500-7,000, you can have a solution for your kitchen waste problem,” he says.
“In India, about 1.3lakh tons of garbage is generated daily and, Bangalore city alone about 6,000 tones of it,’’ Prakash said.
Drum dry composting involves storing of wet waste in a plastic drum with its bottom punctured with a large number holes to allow aeration and draining of water. The garbage is stored for three weeks for ‘pre-digestion’ and during the period the temperature in the garbage rises and gradually decreases. When the temperature has declined to a low, half a kg of earthworms are introduced in the drum. The waste has to be sprinkled with water occasionally to enable the earthworms to survive, ingest, digest and excrete vermi casts otherwise known as vermicompost which is rich in nutrients needed by plants. It could also be sold in market.
Things to watch out: The waste should not contain plastic, glass pieces or non-vetegarian waste. He cautions that once the earthworms are introduced into the drum, in order to ensure the growth and development of worms, further waste should be stored in a second, similar drum. In this method, the drum is rotated 15-20 times twice a day. Rotation allows air circulation in the waste, eliminates fetid smell, and aids decomposition of waste.
“Here application of cow dung slurry or bio-culture helps speedier preparation of compost. If cow dung slurry is not available, even mere rotation of drums twice a day is enough for preparation of compost,’’ Prakash says.
DRUMMING UP SOME FACTS
On an average a 200-litre capacity plastic drum produces about 75 kg of compost in about 75 days
The cost of the drum and the composting is about Rs 5,500-6,000 for drum dry composting and Rs 6,000-7000 for drum bio-composting
Simple and easy to operate and can be adopted in household roof tops, gardens and parks
Aerobic microbial composting minimizes flies and mosquitoes in the area
Prevents soil and water pollution
Ecofriendly and maintains a clean environment
Can be a source of livelihood for unemployed youths
Scientists from the department of soil science and agricultural chemistry, University of Agricultural Sciences (UAS), Bangalore have devised a method whereby kitchen waste could be turned into compost that could be used to grow plants in your balcony, or be even sold.
Drum composting is the method of collection, digestion and decomposition of wet waste from domestic kitchens, vegetable markets, schools, colleges,offices, agriculture, agro-based industrial wastes, into compost.
“There are two types of drum composting: Drum vermicomposting and drum bio-composting,’’ says HC Prakash, professor, department of soil science and agricultural chemistry at UAS.
According to him, on an average an individual produces about 250-400 gm of wet wastes. “For about Rs5,500-7,000, you can have a solution for your kitchen waste problem,” he says.
“In India, about 1.3lakh tons of garbage is generated daily and, Bangalore city alone about 6,000 tones of it,’’ Prakash said.
Drum dry composting involves storing of wet waste in a plastic drum with its bottom punctured with a large number holes to allow aeration and draining of water. The garbage is stored for three weeks for ‘pre-digestion’ and during the period the temperature in the garbage rises and gradually decreases. When the temperature has declined to a low, half a kg of earthworms are introduced in the drum. The waste has to be sprinkled with water occasionally to enable the earthworms to survive, ingest, digest and excrete vermi casts otherwise known as vermicompost which is rich in nutrients needed by plants. It could also be sold in market.
Things to watch out: The waste should not contain plastic, glass pieces or non-vetegarian waste. He cautions that once the earthworms are introduced into the drum, in order to ensure the growth and development of worms, further waste should be stored in a second, similar drum. In this method, the drum is rotated 15-20 times twice a day. Rotation allows air circulation in the waste, eliminates fetid smell, and aids decomposition of waste.
“Here application of cow dung slurry or bio-culture helps speedier preparation of compost. If cow dung slurry is not available, even mere rotation of drums twice a day is enough for preparation of compost,’’ Prakash says.
DRUMMING UP SOME FACTS
On an average a 200-litre capacity plastic drum produces about 75 kg of compost in about 75 days
The cost of the drum and the composting is about Rs 5,500-6,000 for drum dry composting and Rs 6,000-7000 for drum bio-composting
Simple and easy to operate and can be adopted in household roof tops, gardens and parks
Aerobic microbial composting minimizes flies and mosquitoes in the area
Prevents soil and water pollution
Ecofriendly and maintains a clean environment
Can be a source of livelihood for unemployed youths
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