When waste becomes black gold

An English botanist Albert Howard, while working with a government research farm in Indore during the 1920s, observed that the soil lacked organic matter and nitrogen. By composting agricultural waste, he started making manure to enrich soil quality. This is one of the ways composting was introduced in India.

Composting is the method of gathering organic waste to make soil fertiliser.

In 2017, I read a news report titled, Great Barrier Reef dead at 25 million. It was about rising temperatures and the coral reef succumbing to bleaching. It was a disturbing read. The reef has been on my travel bucket list ever since I was a child. I had first read about it in a children’s encyclopaedia. 

My interest in sustainability perhaps stemmed from here. But it has been quite a challenge. In India, especially urban India, it is a luxury to put the environment before yourself. Most middle-class parents of my generation were so focused on creating wealth for their future generations that it never crossed their mind that it was also important to preserve the environment for their children. We grew up with little thought for sustainability and minimalism. Now, as adults, I realise it involves changing one’s entire lifestyle.

Eco experiment

I am now 30. When I was younger, I was more rebellious and optimistic about bringing about change. At 13, I attended a session on eco-friendly Deepavali at school. After that day, I stopped lighting fireworks. I would look down on my cousins who enjoyed it. Switching from polythene covers and plastic bags to paper bags and cloth bags was perhaps one of my earliest steps towards eco-conscious living. 

Soon, I started buying clothes made of natural fibres like cotton, jute, and silk. I try my best to avoid synthetic fabrics. I hand wash all my clothes so they don’t wear off too soon. I also started converting my mother’s old saris into dresses instead of buying new ones. 

Replacing shampoos and conditioners with shikakai and chigare pudi was one of my most adventurous eco-friendly moves. I used it for about two years only to see my hair turn rough and lacklustre. I gave up on them. One day, I learned how to drink elneer (tender coconut) without a straw. The elneer seller was impressed. Composting came much later, and I enjoy it. What comes from the soil goes back to the soil. 

Pandemic pastime

My journey with composting began because of boredom. With nothing to do during the Covid-19 pandemic, I began composting to keep myself engaged. I was a freelance writer back then and my work had come to a standstill, thanks to the pandemic. I had come across Bengaluru-based composting enthusiast Vani Murthy’s Instagram account
(@wormrani), where she promotes composting and sustainable living. 

I was inspired and learnt composting through her posts. Her ideas are simple but they require effort. For example, in one of her posts she suggests making the most of the curd traces by pouring water into empty curd containers and packets. The water used for rinsing can then be used for curry leaf plants as buttermilk is an excellent fertiliser for them. When I told my mom this, she said my ammamma (her mom) would do the same. Going back to one of the points I made earlier — my mother never had the time to do this. So I didn’t learn this. The drained water, after rice and pulses are washed, is also collected and goes into plants. This is one of the methods we use to save water now. Even tea leaves and coffee grounds go into flower pots. 

Through Vani Murthy’s posts, I successfully harvested my first compost on June 3, 2021. It was satisfying.

The process

Composting is one of the easiest steps towards a more eco-conscious life. I reuse old plastic tubs or boxes by first making holes and then layering them at the base with dried leaves and twigs (brown waste) from our small garden. Then I spread the day’s kitchen waste — vegetable and fruit peels (green waste) — over it. I avoid adding cooked food to the compost as it leaves a foul odour. I cut down bigger chunks of vegetable waste, remove petals from flowers and chop down big watermelon pieces into small segments before putting them all into the bin so that the process is faster. I then layer it again with brown waste. Brown waste is hard to find every day. So I sometimes use market-bought coco peat or saw dust from timber mills. Dried waste absorbs the moisture from the green waste. Too much moisture in the bin can lead to rotting. Again too much brown waste will make it too dry. So layering is important to maintain the right amount of moisture. I did this every day until the bin was full. I let it be for about two months before harvesting. Earthen pots can also be used as compost bins. They have natural pores so we don’t have to make any holes. 

One tip I learned from @wormrani was to turn the contents in the bin for aeration. This is the aerobic method of composting, which involves decomposition using oxygen. Sometimes the lower part of the compost pile can get compressed. So turning the compost pile every now and then is also essential to maintain the moisture. If the browns and greens are not in good ratio, then the greens can leave out water. The compost bin should be checked regularly for excess wetness at the bottom of the pile. If it looks too wet, add more brown waste and turn the pile. 

Some things I learnt myself was to harvest a portion of the compost before the entire bin decomposes. So I can use the leftover undecomposed pile as dry waste. This occurred to me when I ran out of bins. 

Harvesting is a fun process. On a big shallow cardboard carton, I spread out a gunny bag. Using a tray with holes in it, I separate the compost from the pile. The leftover pile goes back into the bin. The compost referred to as black gold feels like real gold. Hold it in your hand and smell it. It smells rich and earthy and gives you a deep sense of fulfilment. 

Friends in the bin

The author named the worms in her compost pile Petrichor and Terra Amans.

Once when I was turning my compost, I found half-inch white worms. At first I was taken aback. Then I remembered my buddies, the black soldier fly larvae. There were so many of them. I have no idea where they came from. But I have read they find their way into compost bins. A female black soldier fly carrying eggs is attracted to decomposing matter. I was perhaps the chosen one to one such fly. Crows love feeding on their larvae, a rich source of protein. 

With a life cycle of about 28 to 30 days, Hermetia illucens, the black soldier flies, are saving the planet in a big way. They are efficient in breaking down waste into manure. My compost bin once had red wigglers, a kind of earthworm. Once, a rhinoceros beetle came into my compost pile. I was frightened when I first saw it. These are huge beetles with a horn-like projection on their heads. They are also nocturnal. They hide inside the pile during the day. I don’t know what they do at night. The lid of the bin was shut tight for sure. 

One day the rhinoceros beetle just disappeared. I only hoped it wouldn’t get into my plants or find a coconut tree in the neighbouring house. These beetles are known to attack coconut trees. They can munch an entire tree away. Thankfully no such incident was reported. I didn’t have another rhinoceros beetle for a long time until recently. I found two larvae happily munching and pooping away. They are huge and white with equally spaced brown spots. They are cute chunky creatures. When I feel mischievous, I hold them in my hand and take them inside the house to creep my mom and cousin out. It is fun watching the larvae wiggle and burrow themselves into the pile when exposed to sunlight. I named one Petrichor (because it smells like rain) and the other Terra Amans (Earth lover in Latin). 

Accelerating process

Apart from these bugs and larvae, microbes help speed up the process of composting. Magic coco peat bricks are available in the market. They come with different kinds of microbes that help break down waste. But in my opinion, you don’t need the bricks because these microbes will easily find their way into your compost piles. Cow dung also has a million microbes. I once added some dung into my pile as brown waste. 

Composting has now become a collaborative effort with my mother. Layering is her job. I turn the compost, make sure my buddies are safe, and do the harvesting. My mother also makes a solution out of onion peels to keep the plants green. 

Plastic reduction

Although we have been able to reduce solid waste at home by 80% through composting, reduction of plastic waste seems almost impossible. Shampoo, body lotion and cosmetic bottles and tubes pile up every month.

Plastic is now being recycled in a large way. Plastic containers are also collected separately and diverted from ending up in landfills. 

A few years ago, a video urging citizens not to snip off the corners of milk packets went viral. The small plastic pieces are hard to recycle. The video advised viewers to instead make a cut without snipping off pieces. Some snotty men posted comments like, “Haal packet na poorthi cut maadade mahileyaru jagattanna uddhara madtarante”. It translates to, “Women think they can change the world by not cutting off the edges of a milk packet”. But volunteer organisations like SWMRT (Sustainable Waste Management Round Table) have been collecting thousands of milk packets every month to send them for recycling. Many brands today tell customers not to make triangular cuts to the grocery covers as the small bits of plastic are likely to end up in landfills. SWMRT also promotes the use of steel glasses, plates, spoons and cups for weddings and other functions. They are also one of the first few groups to promote and popularise composting in Bengaluru. Swacha Graha, a campaign by SWMRT connects farmers with urban composters. They have a sale every Saturday where composters sell their harvest. 

There are a number of waste management companies and sustainability firms coming up in India. Bengaluru-based waste management company Saahas Zero Waste hosts zero waste events and also manages waste at tech parks and institutions. They are also the official waste management partners for the IPL matches held at Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. 

Urban composting

English botanist Albert Howard’s method of composting is known as the Indore method. It is an aerobic method which is commonly used in home composting. In the urban landscape, composting culture grew popular for waste management.