<p>Residents of Koramangala 3rd Block are successfully running a composting unit to turn leaf litter into manure, in what appears to be one of the solutions to the garbage problem. <br /><br /></p>.<p>During the summer, dry leaves are the most common component of garbage in Bengaluru. They are usually burnt or dumped; both the scenarios add to pollution and dirt in the city. The compost unit set up by the Koramangala 3rd Block Residents’ Welfare Association (RWA) can process up to 2 tonnes of dry leaves a day from the leaf litter collected in the neighbourhood. The RWA secretary, Anil Chinnaiah, said the association had invested around Rs 3 lakh to set up the unit.<br /><br /> “The unit has already received 100 tonnes of leaf litter this year. It has transformed a potential pollutant into an asset for the community,” he said. <br /><br />Natural aerobic compost<br />The collected leaves are first churned in a rotary sieve to remove solid particles such as plastic and stones. They are then shredded and subjected to natural aerobic composting with the help of simple additives such as water and cow dung.<br /><br />The organic manure produced from this unit is even branded as Kora3B compost.<br /><br />It has been tested and certified by the University of Agricultural Sciences, Bengaluru, as high quality organic leaf compost. <br /><br />The RWA sells Kora3B compost at Rs 8 per kg for fine grain and Rs 4 per kg for coarse grain. It has sold around 750 tonnes of manure till now to gardeners in the city and big farms on the outskirts. <br /><br />The RWA is, however, losing money on the initiative. It spends Rs 45,000 a month on making compost and gets only Rs 25,000 from its sale. But the association doesn’t seem to mind the loss as it’s effectively managing a potential pollutant. RWA members hope that if similar initiatives are taken up elsewhere, Bengaluru will regain its ‘Garden City’ tag soon. <br /><br /><br />/</p>.<p>/</p>
<p>Residents of Koramangala 3rd Block are successfully running a composting unit to turn leaf litter into manure, in what appears to be one of the solutions to the garbage problem. <br /><br /></p>.<p>During the summer, dry leaves are the most common component of garbage in Bengaluru. They are usually burnt or dumped; both the scenarios add to pollution and dirt in the city. The compost unit set up by the Koramangala 3rd Block Residents’ Welfare Association (RWA) can process up to 2 tonnes of dry leaves a day from the leaf litter collected in the neighbourhood. The RWA secretary, Anil Chinnaiah, said the association had invested around Rs 3 lakh to set up the unit.<br /><br /> “The unit has already received 100 tonnes of leaf litter this year. It has transformed a potential pollutant into an asset for the community,” he said. <br /><br />Natural aerobic compost<br />The collected leaves are first churned in a rotary sieve to remove solid particles such as plastic and stones. They are then shredded and subjected to natural aerobic composting with the help of simple additives such as water and cow dung.<br /><br />The organic manure produced from this unit is even branded as Kora3B compost.<br /><br />It has been tested and certified by the University of Agricultural Sciences, Bengaluru, as high quality organic leaf compost. <br /><br />The RWA sells Kora3B compost at Rs 8 per kg for fine grain and Rs 4 per kg for coarse grain. It has sold around 750 tonnes of manure till now to gardeners in the city and big farms on the outskirts. <br /><br />The RWA is, however, losing money on the initiative. It spends Rs 45,000 a month on making compost and gets only Rs 25,000 from its sale. But the association doesn’t seem to mind the loss as it’s effectively managing a potential pollutant. RWA members hope that if similar initiatives are taken up elsewhere, Bengaluru will regain its ‘Garden City’ tag soon. <br /><br /><br />/</p>.<p>/</p>
