In my last week’s article, I had given a brief account of some of the activities of NGO Paryavaran Dakshata Mandal and about the green living consultancy. I hope that you have already started thinking about segregating your household waste and starting composting of the ‘wet’ waste in your own house. Paryavaran Dakshata Mandal is providing a container called “Magic Basket’ for this purpose. It’s a normal basket available in the market. But at PDM, they have made it ready for home composting. Name Magic Basket’ sounds interesting . Right? The reason is once you set up this basket and make it ready for composting, You will find that this basket will never ‘overflow’ with the waste your dumping in. How come? As we keep on dumping biodegradable or wet waste over and over again, it gets decomposed all by itself. So no matter how much volume of wet waste you add, it readily gets degraded into fine, granular compost which is your final product. You can then ‘harvest’ it and use it for your own plants, give it to your neighours.. and still there is surplus if remains, use it for your community garden.
With this, I wish you all the very best for your composting journey. Always remember, you are doing a great job and are contributing your bit for conservation of nature.
However, there are some precautions you have to take while taking up this composting project.
Do’s of biocomposting:
Mix greens and browns: Maintain a balanced ratio of nitrogen-rich 'green' materials (vegetable, fruit waste) with carbon-rich ‘brown; materials (leaves, cardboard) to facilitate proper decomposition.
Chop materials: Shred or chop larger materials like fruit peels, larger stalks of leafy vegetables, and similar components. This will provide greater surface area for those bacteria so as to speed up the composting process.
Keep it moist:
Regularly check the moisture level of your compost pile, ensuring it's damp but not soggy.
Turn the pile: Aerate your compost by turning it over with a fork every few weeks to allow oxygen to reach all parts of the pile.
Bury food scraps: When adding food scraps, cover them with a layer of brown material to prevent pests and odors.
Use a suitable compost bin: Choose a compost bin with adequate ventilation and drainage. This magic basket is quite suitable for this purpose.
Don’ts of biocomposting:
Add meat and dairy: Avoid adding meat, bones, dairy products, and fatty foods as they attract pests and decompose slowly.
Include pet waste: Do not compost pet feces or cat litter as they can contain harmful bacteria.
Add diseased plants: Avoid composting plant material with diseases or pests, as they can spread to healthy plants.
Compost treated wood: Do not add wood treated with chemicals or preservatives.
Use excessive amounts of citrus: While citrus peels can be composted, use them sparingly as their acidity can inhibit decomposition.
Add glossy paper or plastic: Avoid adding shiny paper, plastic, or stickers as they will not break down.
Over-compact the pile: Ensure your compost pile has adequate air circulation by not packing materials too tightly. For any queries and assistance regarding the Magic Baskets, please contact Paryavaran Dakshata Mandal at following numbers.
Paryavaran Dakshata Mandal Dombivali: 9833046634
Paryavaran Dakshata Mandal Thane: 9372358454
(The author is an environmentalist. Views personal.)
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