Poonam Bir Kasturi is a pioneer in producing compost from kitchen with her simple technology called Daily Dump. She is popularly known as the compost lady for her commitment and dedication to converting waste into useful manure or compost. Ms Kasturi has been practising this method of waste disposal since 2006 and believes it is a practical solution to the huge problem of garbage disposal since it eliminates the need for the much abhorred landfills.
The Daily Dump concept is suited to urban living as it uses very little space. It produces compost which can be used for gardening and plays a role in reducing global warming by reducing emissions of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas that is produced when organic waste decomposes when buried in landfill sites. The Daily Dump concept requires three earthen pots with holes for adequate aeration. Only kitchen waste is put into the top most pot, covered with dry leaves to absorb the leachate it produces. Adequate aeration reduces the smell and neem powder or neem mixed with water helps further prevents odour. Adding dry leaves to the mixture helps quicken the composting process.
Once the top most pot is filled up, it can be pushed to the bottom and the same procedure should be followed with the second. By the time the second and third are filled, the organic waste collected in the first pot will have been converted into compost. It takes about 30 days for the composting process. Every household can follow this process and reduce its dependence on centralised civic collection with its attendant problems of landfills.
Ms Kasturi says the process is so effective that she never has to throw away any kitchen waste.
“Each bag thrown out every day contains around 50-60 per cent organic waste and around 25-30 per cent recyclable waste. If these are separated and put to use by composting and recycling, you reduce the waste you send to landfills. This act helps create more jobs in recycling and composting and saves money and energy since you are not making glass, paper, plastic from raw materials but from used materials. It saves natural resources such as trees, minerals and habitats,” she says adding that dry waste can be collected separately and handed over to the BBMP or a waste paper shop.