Issue #8: Special Issue
(Compost, pt. 4) Resources and references for anyone who wants to experiment with Composting techniques
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As we wind down on the topic of composting, I thought it best to create a cheat-sheet. This issue is a compilation of resources, informational and instructional, regarding composting and how we can use natural cycles to reduce our waste footprint. This issue also includes links to services or products that can help you start composting at various scales, from home-composting to housing society- or community-scale composting services. This issue also includes some references for further reading.
Although I have used some of these products, it is important for you to do your own research and make sure the instructions are followed precisely, or you could end up with a heap of festering, stinking, putrefied, pest-ridden toxic waste. The warnings generally come after the instructions.
Home Composting
Issue #6 of this newsletter detailed out two of the more commonly practiced methods of indoor or apartment composting, along with the scientific basis for each process we use during composting, drawing back to how individual composting can benefit the environment at a larger scale. What follows is a set of resources for anyone who might be interested in pursuing home composting.
Before you start composting, it is important to note how much food waste your household produces, whether it is limited to vegetable scraps or also includes meat-based or cooked waste. Try tabulating this data, as it will help inform the type and size of the home composting system you should choose.
DIY home composting for apartments
A video with instructions for practicing low-investment aerobic composting at home
This particular video (from a Youtube channel called GardenUp) provides sound instructions on the practice of “matka” composting, using a series of clay pots to compost organic waste. The presenter also explains the chemical and biological processes in an easy-to-follow manner, and explains each step of the process thoroughly. It also advocates the use of curd, or organic probiotic yogurt as a microbe-starter (interestingly, it is the same probiotic that human beings need to keep our gut microbiomes healthy). Further, any sealable pot can be used to compost in this method, with no special bins or composters necessary.
Home composting (aerobic) setups for apartments
While DIY composting may be an option if you are going to be investing more time and energy in this experiment, you may also want to purchase some standardised equipment to streamline your composting process and boost your odds of creating compost at home. Here’s a list of products you may consider purchasing or doing further research into, looking at alternatives of these options. Although I have linked most of the product’s Amazon India pages here, you can also find these products on the manufacturer’s websites and other services.
The Daily Dump microbe starter culture on Amazon India
This is a compost microbe starter mix from a reputed brand, available all over India. If you have chosen to go the DIY route, but would rather use an established microbe culture to start and fuel your compost pile, this is a great solution.
The Daily Dump smart compost kit on Amazon India
This is a kit containing plastic composting bins (4 large bins), microbe cultures, substrate, operating instructions and gloves for easy handling of kitchen waste. Options with fewer bins are also available.
An instructional video on using The Daily Dump compost stacks
This video contains instructions on how the stack composting works for The Daily Dump’s “Khamba composting” system. It is a great way to visualise the actual composter and decide whether or not this is the right fit for you.
Home composting using the anaerobic bokashi method
TrustBasket’s Trustbin, a 14L bokashi home composting kit on Amazon India
This is among the most popular bokashi composting products, and includes a composting bucket with a drainage sump, an airtight lid and the lactobacilli microbe culture used in this kind of compost. This setup boasts an odour-free indoor composting solution that can be incorporated under your kitchen sink. Bokashi kits with more bins for higher capacity are also available. However, be sure to follow the exact instructions as given on the manual, since this process requires very particular environmental conditions to happen properly.
TrustBasket’s Compost Maker Powder, a pack of bokashi microbes on Amazon India
Since bokashi composting requires that you add a layer of the microbial culture to the heap every time you add food waste, you will have to continue buying more microbe cultures. Always cross-check that the microbial culture is meant for bokashi composting and not aerobic composting.
An informational video on how Bokashi works and the avantages
In this video, the presenter (from a channel called Nature’s Always Right) talks about how bokashi can be used, and the science behind bokashi. Although some of the products may not be available or suitable for use in India, it is possible to use the listed products (or equivalent products you find) to create bokashi compost at home.
Bio Drops “Bokashi Bucket”, a bokashi kit on Amazon India
This is an alternate manufacturer of a bokashi system setup, in case the products listed above are too small or not available in your area. There are, of course, several other products you can buy if you are interested in experimenting with bokashi.
Garden, Institution or Community Composting
These are products and services available for use at a larger scale, within housing societies, offices and factories, and cooperatives. These services can (and should) be considered for large-scale kitchens and canteens, as well as large-scale programmes and events such as weddings and conferences.
RUR’s Bio Composter (for communities)
RUR GreenLife provides products as well as services that can be used at various scales, as well as consulting with communities or housing societies on what kind of composter would work best for their needs. For more information on the scope of services they provide, you can visit their website here.
Large leaf composting units for community gardens and parks
The Daily Dump (you should be familiar with the name at this point) also sells products for large-scale composting of leaf litter and trimmings from parks and gardens. This is a 32-inch wide metal mesh bin that facilitates the composting of collected leaves.
MyGreenBin Organic Waste Composting solutions for small to large operations
MyGreenBin offers multiple composting products for home use, for housing societies and communities, and for institutions and offices - each product specifying the load that it can process along with technical specifications for each, making it a hassle-free installation and operation. You can get in touch to learn more about their services here.
Noval India’s subscription based waste management service
A Mumbai-based startup that will install and operate multiple waste management systems (including a food waste composter) within the building premises, operating for societies with 100 or more families in Mumbai, Pune, Bengaluru and Kerala (if you are not in any of these cities, and would like more information on services that operate in your area, feel free to contact me). You can find out more about their services here.
MobiTrash, a subscription-based wet waste pickup service
Unlike Noval India, this service picks up pre-segregated, pre-collected waste from housing societies and institutions, and composts the waste on the move. It operates in Mumbai, Pune, Surat, Ahmedabad, Rajkot and Gurugram.
Composting is a largely decentralised process in India, and while the majority of waste management is done by municipal or civic bodies, startups operating like the ones listed above are a step towards better waste management, especially when it comes to compost creation.
Further Reading
City compost as agricultural fertiliser
The Government of India’s Department of Fertilisers has set up a specialised wing to “promote” the production and use of city compost. Among the available resources on this portal is the actual “Policy on Promotion of City Compost”, which is a short but important read for us to understand how compost created in cities by startups and services or municipal bodies can be sold to farmers for use on agrarian land.
This is among the most important parts of urban composting: applying organic matter to small- and large-scale agricultural plots to increase the soil’s carbon content and healing the soil microbiome
Articles about India’s city compost policies
An article on Rural21’s website extolled the virtues of the Maharashtrian government’s efforts in working with international stakeholders to make city compost available to farmers at a subsidised cost.
On the other hand, there are areas for improvement in the amount of city compost that is sold to farmers and agricultural entities. This article in the Down To Earth Magazine found that only a small ratio of the fertiliser purchased by farmers is city compost, even though the pipelines for production and sale of city compost are functional. If you would like to read more from this author, you can consider buying her report entitled “Charting the Future of City Compost”, available for purchase here.
General Reading
This instructional and informative article from the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University Agritech Portal talks about different types of composting we use in India, along with a quick how-to and an explanation of the science behind these methods. It is quite relevant for anyone who would like to know more about the science behind Indian composting methods.
This comprehensive research paper explaining various types of composting from around the world.
A commentary on Mongabay India asking why composting schemes in India are not working, published in February 2021, examines drawbacks and challenges faced by composting agencies. Government policies end up discarded because they cannot achieve the correct scale and funding required to serve a country of 1.3 billion people.
This study examines the decentralised composting systems in various cities in India, focusing on community and cooperative systems, listing the advantages and challenges faced by decentralised composting and steps that the municipal authorities can take to further the cause of city composting.
Links to Compost Issues
Issue #5: Compost pt.1 - an introduction to and theoretical breakdown of composting
Issue #6: Adding Organic Matter To Soil - science and processes of home composting
Issue #7: Helping the Soil Help Us - large-scale composting practices
Thank you for reading through this issue of the Climate Catalogue Reader. This is a special issue with a list of resources and references that I have compiled to help you compost or get more people interested in composting, and if you appreciate this, you can show it by tapping the little heart at the bottom of the newsletter.
And do remember to share this issue with those who you think would like to learn more about the science and ecological benefits of composting.