Home composting way forward, say Chandigarh residents

Chandigarh, June 27

At a time when there is a lot of discussion over the need to clear the mountain of garbage at the Dadu Majra dump, most residents feel the Municipal Corporation should encourage people for home composting.

The city produces a total of 550 tonne of waste per day. Of this, 350 tonne is wet (kitchen) garbage alone. The MC, too, wants to reduce the quantity of wet waste at the generator level. Home composting may help in a big way.

Apart from setting up a waste processing plant for four housing societies in the southern sectors, the MC has planned to start common composting units at the EWS housing complexes. The civic body has also set up composting pits in all major gardens under its jurisdiction.

A resident of Sector 21, Jyoti Arora, who has been processing kitchen as well as horticulture waste at home, said, “I have not thrown away waste for the past six years. I compost it to be used as manure in my rooftop vegetable garden. People should be encouraged for processing home garbage. People may also do horticulture waste composting by digging a pit, but it is a time-consuming process and there may be a risk of rodents or insects.”

Meanwhile, MC officials said they cannot make home composting mandatory, but are encouraging and making people aware of it wherever possible.

Good for kitchen gardens

I have been processing kitchen as well as horticulture waste at home. I have not thrown away waste for the past six years. I compost it to be used as manure in my rooftop vegetable garden. — Jyoti Arora, a resident