Be A Responsible Citizen And Learn The Art Of Composting: Durga Shanker Mishra

New Delhi: According to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, India generate approximately 62 million tonnes of trash a year. Of this almost 70-75 per cent of garbage remains untreated and ends up going to India’s overflowing garbage mountains – the landfills. To solve India’s garbage crisis, Durga Shanker Mishra, Secretary, Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs, has a suggestion. He took to his social media to inform citizens on steps to take to tackle the garbage crisis. Sharing videos and photos, minister Durga Shanker Mishra said,

I urge everyone out there to adopt the practice of composting. It is simple, cost effective and can help you live a green life. Every bit of effort contributes to a larger goal and we all should come forward and extend our support towards this Swachhata Andolan.

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Every drop makes an ocean!
It is a delight to see the tremendous efforts that are being made by citizens towards Swachhata across the country & how this mission of the govt has been transformed into a Jan Andolan. pic.twitter.com/JpPAZwjNdQ

— Durga Shanker Mishra (@Secretary_MoHUA) January 20, 2020

Sharing more details about the practice of composting, Mr Mishra added,

I got composting pits at my house more than a year back. What I have is a simple three composting pit system in which I put my home’s kitchen waste. At a time one pit is used, as soon as it gets filled, the second pit is put to use and by the time that gets filled, compost from first pit is ready. I am using the compost to grow vegetables in my backyard. I request each and every citizen to use these composting pits in their houses.

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Every bit of effort contributes to a larger goal & to extend our support towards this Swachhata Andolan.

I got composting pits at my house more than an year back. We use the kitchen waste to make compost & use it for growing vegetables in our backyard. pic.twitter.com/AblsSN30q2

— Durga Shanker Mishra (@Secretary_MoHUA) January 20, 2020

I request each & every citizen to use these composting pits in their houses & use the organic waste to make compost. This is an easy & economical way to provide nutrition to the soil because this compost can be further used to grow plants & vegetables. pic.twitter.com/78ZLKEmXxV

— Durga Shanker Mishra (@Secretary_MoHUA) January 20, 2020

Also Read: Go Waste Free: Take A Cue From This Delhi Family On How To Live A Zero Waste Life

The minister further shared the benefits of doing composting at home and added,

Compost acts as an organic fertiliser. It not only contributes to making our surroundings green and beautiful but also considerably reduces the burden of waste management for municipal corporations.

Compost acts as an organic fertiliser. It not only contributes to making our surroundings green & beautiful but also considerably reduces the burden of waste management for municipal corporations. pic.twitter.com/SUO2ewkeAn

— Durga Shanker Mishra (@Secretary_MoHUA) January 20, 2020

He signed off with a message and asked every individual to become a Swachhata Hero. He said,

All of us can together set perfect examples of being responsible citizens and contribute in the cleanliness and beautification of our cities by taking these small steps.

Be a responsible citizen, be a #SwachhataHero!

All of us can together set perfect examples of being responsible citizens & contributing in the cleanliness & beautification of our cities by these small steps.

Be a responsible citizen, be a #SwachhataHero ! pic.twitter.com/JYYhoNgrMa

— Durga Shanker Mishra (@Secretary_MoHUA) January 20, 2020

Also Read: Heroes Of Swachh India:  Meet Poonam Bir Kasturi, A Bengaluru Woman Who Is Helping India Get Rid Of Its Excess Wet Waste Via Composting 

What Is Composting?

Considered as one of the easiest waste management techniques, composting is basically a natural process that breaks down the organic material into a dark rich substance – manure, which acts as a wonderful conditioner for soil. It is one of the simplest forms of recycling that involves everyday kitchen waste.

Also Read: Fighting India’s Garbage Crisis: All About Composting

Three Easy Steps To Composting

The first step to composting is waste segregation – start by segregating your waste – wet or kitchen waste like vegetable and fruit peels, small amounts of wasted cooked food etc. should be kept in one container and dry waste like dried leaves sawdust, newspaper chunks, packaging material etc in another bin.

The second step is to know what can be composted and what cannot be composted.

Also Read: With Composting As Her Tool, This Gardener From Chennai Is Growing 50 Plus Veggies, Fruits And Making Organic Soaps At Home

Here’s a list of things that can be used for the process of composting:

Items that you cannot compost are Ashes (coal and charcoal), coloured paper, leftover meat or bones, lemon, onion or citrus peels, non-biodegradable or other toxic items.

The third and final step includes the process of composting. Add kitchen or vegetable waste and dry waste in soil layer after layer. Once a week mix the compost with half a scoop of new soil. And in 2-3 weeks time, you will get your home-made compost.

Also Read: This 81-Year-Old Swachh Crusader Has Been Encouraging Composting In Pune For Nearly 40 Years

More Benefits Of Composting

The most beneficial thing about composting is that it helps in reducing greenhouse gases as when food waste goes directly to the landfills it produces methane, a greenhouse gas which is produced when the food waste does not get decomposed effectively and is mixed with other types of waste. So if kitchen or vegetable waste is diverted from landfills via composting the chances of the emission of methane into the environment is reduced, apart from the overall benefit of reducing the burden on already spilling landfill.