An Experience with Home Composting

Home-made Compost

My Motivation

There can be different motivating factors for composting your organic waste at home. Compost is an excellent source of nutrition for your plants and home composting ensures it is free of any added chemicals. However, I do not have many plants at the ground floor, where I live. So, my motivation was different. I wanted to start the practice of segregating our household waste into:

• Wet Waste including kitchen waste such as fruits and vegetable peels, leftover raw food etc.
• Dry Waste including plastic, paper, cardboard etc.

Why Segregate?

It is important to segregate our waste because doing so makes waste a resource. Wet waste can yield products like compost and dry waste can be recycled. In both cases we can reduce our contribution to our local dhalaos. These dhalaos become a breeding spot for flies and other insects that are harmful to our health.

Further, segregating also ensures that your waste collector won’t have to put their bare hands into it - to extract all recyclables. It saves them from the high risk of getting infected with skin, eyes and respiratory infections.

From an overall perspective it reduces the burden to our landfill sites.

Composting at Home

Keeping Wet Waste Separate

Keep a separate container for your wet waste and keep it covered at all times when not in use. Wet waste means any kitchen (or organics) waste that has moisture content. For example our raw fruits and vegetables, their peels, seeds etc.

I’ve kept a covered container on my kitchen’s shelf

Using a Compost Bin

Although you can create a composter at home using any existing bucket or bin I've been using a home composter called Smart Bin Air from GreenTech Life. There are also other options available in market such as Trust Bin, Daily Dump etc. You can choose as per your needs, budget and space constraints. All of them provide you a powder which acts as carbon rich browns for your compost. You can simply start by putting your wet waste into this bin to start composting.

Understanding the Process

Simple science behind composting is to maintain the Carbon:Nitrogen ratio, which should typically be 25-30:1. We can’t, of course, scientifically measure it at home but we can surely ensure the ratio is maintained at this level. You can use easily available waste and raw materials for this:

• Carbon Rich Organic Substances (browns) - dry leaves, sawdust - You can choose not to buy these if you have any of these available at your home
• Nitrogen Rich Organic Substances (greens) -  organic waste from your kitchen such as fruits and vegetable peels

Carbon rich kitchen waste (or greens) mixed with Nitrogen rich materials (or browns)

Learning and Tips From My Experience

1. First and foremost, it is extremely important that all your family members and even housemaids are aware of what you are doing otherwise someone might mix all waste together.
2. When you are composting the micro-organisms feed on nitrogen rich food. If you put less browns in the mix then excess nitrogen release as ammonia leaving a bad smell. So if your pile stinks, add more browns. Further, smaller the pieces of greens faster will be the decomposition process.
3. Remember that composting is an aerobic process, so oxygen supply is required, but do not ever leave the greens exposed, otherwise houseflies may lay eggs and your bin will be full of maggots. I've faced this two times in my initial batches. And I actually had to remove those maggots with my hands. I used to take this compost to our terrace, spread it over and remove the maggots. Have to say this is a very time consuming and tedious process, which many will highly dislike. Such instances can dampen the spirit of home-composting. Hence, I repeat, please do not ever leave the greens exposed.

Maggots in Compost

4. If you feel your compost pile is heating up then it is a good sign. Good micro-organisms are at work.
5. The pile should not be too wet, otherwise add more browns. It should also not be too dry, otherwise add some water to make it moist.
6. You must give your compost a minimum of 10 minutes a day if you do not want to face problems later on.

Taking the first step is often the most difficult, but taking that first step leads to success. I failed a few times, but every time I learnt something. Hope my learning would be useful for you.

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