Sneha, a home maker recently started using earthen pots for composting kitchen waste. And she says, ‘It is good to know that I am actually converting my kitchen generated waste into something so wonderfully nourishing, “the compost”.

The smell of rich compost after three months of dumping kitchen waste is a top of the world feeling. This feeling is seconded by Trupti, a green enthusiast, adds that it is an exhilarating feeling when you don’t dump organic kitchen waste outside.

Fed up of seeing garbage and waste everywhere in Bangalore city she and her friend started composting and now she says that she no longer needs to buy manure for her big garden.

Are you wondering what these guys are talking about?

Then you are welcome to the world of composting which is actually a wonderful way of converting organic kitchen waste like vegetable, fruit peels like banana, apple figs, rotten vegetables or fruits, watermelon, bones, tea bags, leftover cooked food etc in to rich manure suitable for your garden. Plenty of microbes and insects will turn the kitchen garbage in to rich compost suitable for plants in your garden.

So what are the benefits of composting?

By composting you reuse and reduce waste. The organic waste from kitchen which contributes to 50-60% of our daily waste can actually be converted into excellent soil conditioner, useful for plants and trees. If you are not into gardening you can always sell the compost.  According to Daily Dump, an organization which helps manage household waste by providing various composting solutions, it is a good practice to manage organic waste at source itself. This way you reduce the volume of waste going to landfills and also recycle the waste thus benefiting our earth.

So how do you go about composting in your home?

The first step is to realize that only organic and biodegradable waste can be turned in to compost.

You cannot put plastic bags, medicines, diseased plants etc in to compost.

If you live in an apartment then get hold of some commercial bins or kitchen composters meant for composting. You can also use earthen pots, plastic containers or tubs provided they are well aerated with holes at bottom and at sides.

So here are the basic steps towards composting:

  1. Start adding kitchen waste daily in to the bin. Also add equal amounts of dried leaves to the mixture. The addition of dried leaves or paper makes sure that the waste does not attract flies and there is no foul smelling odor either. Also when kitchen waste starts decomposing the mixture in the bin becomes wet as water gets released out of the mixture. So putting in dry matter like dry leaves, saw dust etc prevents the mixture from becoming too wet.
  2. Stir it every day so that the mixture gets sufficient aeration. When you stir you are helping the waste compost faster. Also stirring makes sure that food waste gets buried under leaves or saw dust and no smell emanates out of the mixture.
  3. Keep inspecting the waste when it turns in to compost. If the mixture becomes very dry you may have to sprinkle lukewarm water to make the mix wet. Moisture also plays a very important role in composting.
  4. It may take around two to three months for your compost to be ready. You will recognize that your kitchen waste has turned in to compost when you see the pile turning dark and also when it starts emanating an earthy smell.

Tips for composting:

  • To prevent flies from getting attracted to the compost bin, cover the lid with paper. Tuck the paper from all sides to ensure that the waste is not exposed to flies.
  • If you put in lot of acidic foods like lemon in to the dump then add baking soda every week in to the dump. Composting is slower when the waste is acidic.
  • Do not put too much meat in the bin as it may attract rats and also it does not decompose easily.
  • To speed up the process of composting you can also add cow dung or semi compost to the waste.

If you require guidance and help with composting, you can check out the Daily Dump organization. The Daily Dump offers unique and attractive composting solutions and is located in many major cities like Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore etc.