Composting

There is enormous potential for better composting in Srinagar and the wider Kashmir Valley. Biodegradable waste represents a free, underutilised resource that can be effectively composted to enrich the soil for food production. Conventional, industrial farming methods rely greatly on the purchase of expensive inputs such as synthetic fertilisers that unnaturally alter the chemical balance of the soil. Artificial fertilisers are produced at huge energy cost both in manufacturing and transportation, and do not provide plants with the complexity of minerals they require for healthy growth. Returning organic matter to the soil through compost can help nurture the vital soil organisms and micro-ecosystem that is essential for the vitality of food crops.

 

There are many examples of successful composting campaigns that urban municipalities around the world have established. These can comprise of a mix of large scale, centralised composting facilities for urban food waste and localised solutions such as community and backyard composting initiatives.

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Home Composting:

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The most sustainable methods of waste management are often the simplest solutions that turn local waste into useful local resources. Home composting has the potential to deliver a whole host of environmental, health and economic benefits, without the need for new waste management infrastructure. The most progressive urban municipalities around the world are beginning to develop more joined-up approaches to the multiple challenges of lifestyle illnesses, environmental degradation and food security.

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Full report War on Waste available below, which includes Biodegradable waste management, . Composting: promotion and development, Biodegradable waste collections and Home composting 

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War on Waste

 

Thanusan Gunabalasingham (Waste Management Expert from the UK) and Amber Badyari have completed work on the report that was commissioned by Green Kashmir, and carried out in Srinagar during September- December 2017 .

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