Compost from organic waste

Composting of biodegradable wastes (household rubbish, organic wastes) for use in the field and garden is a good way to maintain biological activity in the soil and protect the environment. Anyone can produce good quality compost from wastes. The following method using a barrel allows the best possible combination of three key elements: air, humidity, and temperature: Paint the inside of the barrel to prevent it from rusting. Make three holes (1 cm in diameter) around the top third and the bottom third of the barrel, at a distance of 52 cm from each other. Make another hole of 1 cm in the base. Remove the top; it is used as a lid for regulating the composting process when the barrel is filled. As the compost rots, it will shrink in size, and the lid will slide down and close the barrel. Make an opening about 20 cm above the base of the barrel, 65 cm high and 20 cm wide, so that you can check on how the composting is progressing. You should normally keep this opening covered. Place the barrel on a metal tripod stand 25 cm high, so that you can put a vessel underneath to catch any fermented liquid. All that is needed now are the composting materials: 52 kg of sawdust, 1.7 kg of poultry manure, 2.5 kg of natural Tilemsi phosphate, and 800 ml of urine. After 45 days, the composting should be well advanced. It is best to work with two or three barrels: the first can be used for an initial compost, which is sieved and put in the second barrel for further composting. The third barrel is used to store ready-to-use compost. There is no need to make holes in the second and third barrels. Sidiki Gabriel Dembélé IFR/IFRA Katibougou, BP 06, Koulikoro, Mali Fax: +223 26 2003Composting of biodegradable wastes (household rubbish, organic wastes) for use in the field and garden is a good way to maintain biological activity in the soil and protect the environment. Anyone can produce good quality compost from wastes. The..