Articles
Kitchen waste as organic matter for composting in Bangladesh
Article number
1112_47
Pages
349 – 356
Language
English
Abstract
This study was carried out to evaluate a composting program by the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI) piloted to: (1) manage household kitchen waste generated by the BARI residential community on campus and (2) train small farmers and women groups in using kitchen waste for composting/vermicomposting and vermiculture as means of income generation.
A major problem in BARI residential community’s kitchen waste collection was at-source separation for which regular campus environmental educational campaigns focusing on this issue was suggested as a solution.
Practical problems experienced by the small farmers and women groups were related to lifting and handling of the heavy compost preparation containers used and the selection of bedding materials.
A completely randomized experiment was conducted using three container materials (plastic, wood and earthenware) and three types of bedding materials (rice straw, shredded paper, and coconut fibre) to identify the best container/bedding material combination that produced the best compost yield.
Results of the study showed that the use of plastic containers with rice straw as the bedding material produced the best yield in compost production.
The yield from earthen containers with rice straw bedding was comparable to the plastic containers with rice straw bedding and may offer a better quality compost in terms of nutrient salt concentrations as measured by its lower Electrical Conductivity (EC). However, the earthenware may pose a practical problem of breakage while handing.
The plastic containers weighed the least and offered a solution to the problem of damage while handling.
A major problem in BARI residential community’s kitchen waste collection was at-source separation for which regular campus environmental educational campaigns focusing on this issue was suggested as a solution.
Practical problems experienced by the small farmers and women groups were related to lifting and handling of the heavy compost preparation containers used and the selection of bedding materials.
A completely randomized experiment was conducted using three container materials (plastic, wood and earthenware) and three types of bedding materials (rice straw, shredded paper, and coconut fibre) to identify the best container/bedding material combination that produced the best compost yield.
Results of the study showed that the use of plastic containers with rice straw as the bedding material produced the best yield in compost production.
The yield from earthen containers with rice straw bedding was comparable to the plastic containers with rice straw bedding and may offer a better quality compost in terms of nutrient salt concentrations as measured by its lower Electrical Conductivity (EC). However, the earthenware may pose a practical problem of breakage while handing.
The plastic containers weighed the least and offered a solution to the problem of damage while handling.
Authors
U.R. Palaniswamy, N. Uddin, F. Islam
Keywords
composting, vermicomposting, vermiculture, Eisenia fetida
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