Tiruchi bats for home composting

The Tiruchi City Corporation is set to promote an innovative method of wet waste composting in the backyards of households so as to produce organic manure.

To create awareness of the scheme, the Corporation is conducting meetings with the representatives of resident welfare and flat dwellers associations.

Under the initiative, residents will be encouraged to set up home composting in their backyards. Depending upon the quantum of waste being generated in the households, residents should bury PVC pipes in 30 cm to 50 cm deep pits. The pipes should be buried in such a way so as to provide adequate air circulation. The wet waste dumped in the pipes decomposes within 10 to 15 days. The air circulation helps the wet waste to decompose. This ultimately becomes organic manure and can either be used in the home gardens or sold.

Corporation Commissioner N. Ravichandran told The Hindu that the initiative was aimed at involving residents in disposing wet waste at the source itself. Instead of handing them over to the sanitary workers, the residents could dump the organic waste in the pipes buried in their backyards. It did not require much effort and there was no need to spend much time too. Services of the corporation workers would be required only at the time of dumping and removing the manure, the end product of home composting.

He said home composting had become an important component for scoring marks under the Swachh Survekshan-2019. It was already being followed by restaurants, hotels and some marriage halls in the city. Home composting methods were being demonstrated to members of various welfare associations.

There were about 2.5 lakh households in the city. The households, which had sufficient vacant space, could go in for home composting. It was estimated that about 1 lakh households had sufficient space. It was not compulsory for them to opt for home composting. However, they would be motivated to go for home composting methods.

He said negotiation was on with a few companies and public sector banks and undertakings for sponsoring pipes and other materials required for setting up home composting.

A prize scheme would be introduced to encourage residents, who go in for home composting.
Source