A hotel in Powai has taken the eco-friendly mantra to heart and is converting tonnes of wet kitchen waste into organic fertiliser with just a little help from the humble earthworm.
Most of us are familiar with the three-sided icon symbolising ‘reduce, reuse and recycle’. However, a hotel in Powai has taken the eco-friendly mantra to heart and is converting tonnes of wet kitchen waste into organic fertiliser with just a little help from the humble earthworm.
“Through the process of vermiculture, we are not only doing our bit for planet Earth but are also saving lakhs of rupees in garbage collection and disposal fees annually. We are even making money on the side from the sale of the manure obtained in the process,” says Daniel Chatterton, deputy general manager of Hotel Rodas.
Kitchen waste like vegetable peels, skins and bones of chicken and fish, and leftover food are segregated and pulverised. The waste is then sent to eight compost pits within the hotel’s premises. “Nearly 50 kg of wet garbage is deposited into the compost pits daily,” Chatterton adds.
Lakhs of earthworms in these pits do the rest by breaking down and transforming the biodegradable waste into rich organic fertiliser. This in turn is sold to residential complexes, gardens and plant nurseries in Powai.
“Effective disposal or diversion of food scraps and other organic materials results in reducing the size of a hotel’s dumpsters. It also lengthens the time between waste pick-ups. And this is how one can considerably reduce garbage management and disposal costs,” explains Elsie Gabriel, founder president of Young Environmentalists Programme Trust.
Another hotel in the city which manages its waste through vermiculture is Orchid near the domestic airport. “The cost of running an eco-friendly hotel is 5-10% more than that of a regular hotel. But the long-term savings and benefits most certainly offset the investment,” says Param Kannampilly, managing director of Concept Hospitality, a hotel management company that handles both Rodas and Orchid.
Meanwhile, several Advanced Locality Management (ALM) programmes in the city are encouraging Mumbaikars to manage their waste on a smaller scale. Environmentalists explain that garbage is segregated at the household level. Wet waste is composted locally, while sweepers, rag pickers or civic employees take away the dry waste. “The BMC has established vermicompost projects on its own across the city to demonstrate to citizens the benefits of the vermiculture process,” Elsie adds.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}