Turning wet waste into manure sans stink
Malleswaram is set to become the first ward in the City to prepare manure that sans stink.
‘Pelrich composorb’, an organic component containing ligno-cellulsosic non-pathogenic fungus which works on the principle of advanced composting with aerobic assistance, will help in converting 90 per cent of wet waste into manure within 35 days at the ward, said Dr C N Manoj, Managing Director of Pelican Biotech and Chemical labs, a Kerala-based organic composting company.
The compost provides enough air circulation and observes leach liquid and stench, he said during a demonstration. Tonnes of segregated wet wastes from household and establishments are sandwiched between the layers of ‘pelrich composorb’, said Mohan.
The manure can be used directly for plants. “Unlike other organic manure, it will not generate heat and leave residues. The compost acts like a forest soil resulting in higher growth and complete absorption from plants,” said Mohan.
Segregation must
‘Pelrich composorb’ works only on the biodegradable wastes, making the process of segregation a must. With the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike making segregation of waste into ‘dry’ and ‘wet’ mandatory from October 1, the organisers hope the venture will be successful.
“Segregation at source is very essential for the project to succeed,” said C N Aswath Narayan, Malleswaram MLA. “We have identified seven places in the ward from where wet waste will be collected every day and treated at this composting point.” “We are in talks with agriculture universities and farmers for the purchase of the end product (manure).Every day we are expecting to produce 17.5 tonnes of manure,” he said.
The residents gathered at the venue, also expressed their willingness to segregate waste at source. “Expecting someone else to segregate waste from our house is wrong,” said Dr Abirami, a resident of an apartment. “It will not take even a second more to separate degradable and soiled waste.”
