COMPOSTING AT HOME
Statistics show that more than half of our waste are biodegradable, and the best
way to ecologically dispose them is by composting. Composting has many benefits.
Apart from helping solve our garbage problem, it helps prevent the spread of diseases
and provides us with good, cheap fertilizer. Last time I wrote about large scale
composting in Moncada Tarlac where it is now a booming business. Now let’s talk
about doing it in our own backyards. We don’t need expensive equipment, but it
requires that we reorient our attitudes toward trash and change some of our habits. We
need to discipline ourselves in doing waste segregation, which you may find
troublesome at the start . Later as you get used to it and realize its benefits, it will just
become one of your ordinary day to day routine.
Composting is nature’s way of recycling. “ Nabubulok na basura”, such as
waste from your garden , lawn, kitchen and farm , can be reduced to a pile of fertilizer
or compost due to the action of bacteria and fungus. This process returns organic
matter to the soil in a usable form and improves plant growth . The Chairman of the
Recycling Movement of the Philippines, Dr. Med Palaypay, calls the nutrients that are
brought back to the soil as “ sangkap pinoy”. With most of our topsoil gone due to
erosion and flooding, we need to bring back organics into it the natural way through
composting.
We start by segregating our yard and kitchen scraps from our non-biodegradable
trash. Cutting, chopping or shredding the material into finer pieces will speed up
composting Remember that microorganisms don’t have teeth, so the finer the material,
the faster they can degrade it. Don’t include bones and other materials which don’t
decay. In the composting process ,all the necessary elements are contained in the word
“ L.A.H.A.T.” , which stands for “Lupa, Araw, Hangin , Ako. Tubig”.
Next we need a compost bin or a small hole in the ground. If you have enough
space in your backyard, dig a 1meter x 1 meter x 1-meter pit into the ground. Choose a
high place where water doesn’t accumulate. If you don’t have space, there are a
number of options that you can choose. If you have old tires, put them to good use by
piling 4 pieces on top of the other and use them as container. Insert a piece of wood or
anything in between the tires for air circulation. If you placed it on cemented floor, put
soil in the bottom. Old drums, plastic containers and cans are also excellent containers
but make sure to remove the bottom portion. Compost bins may also be constructed from
chicken wires or from wood planks such as scrap pallets.
Once the container is ready, start the compost pile with 3 inches layer of twigs or
branches in the bottom. This will promote good air circulation. If you dug a hole in the
ground, place a hallow bamboo for air inlet. Next, place your kitchen scraps and yard
waste and cover it with one inch of soil. If you have animal manure, add it on top of the
soil. This will provide the microorganisms with nitrogen which they use to make
proteins. Sprinkle with water as often as necessary to keep the contents moist, but not
soaking wet.
Within a few days, the pile will decrease in size and heat up to about 140 degrees
Fahrenheit killing harmful organisms and weed seeds. This is a good sign that the heap is
working properly. For best results, fork the materials into a new pile, turning the outside
of the heap into the middle portion. If the pile has a bad odor, it is a sign that there is not
enough air. Turn it or provide air passages. If the center of the heap is dry, there’s not
enough water so moisten it and turn the pile. If the pile is damp but doesn’t heat up, it
lacks nitrogen so add animal manure. Composting may be completed in 1 or 2 months. It
is ready when it is dark brown, crumbly and earthy smelling.
If it is done right, you will see that there’s no smell, no flies and no cockroaches. I
visited the house of Mrs. Luz Sabas, founder of the Recycling Movement, and saw a tire
compost bin right inside their laundry area beside the kitchen. The area is clean and has
no bad odor. Another good model is the Barangay Sun Valley, Paranaque composting
project. Their community size project is inside a subdivision and right at the back of
the Barangay Hall, attesting to it’s cleanliness.
Follow nature’s rhythm, and you’ll reap its benefits . Compost your waste.