‘Green’ manure: About 30 tonne of compost is being prepared daily at various GVMC vermicompost facilities in Visakhapatnam. more-in With the monthly production capacity of estimated 900 tonne of vermicompost from the domestic wet waste at its facilities, the GVMC is now all set to sell it to farmers. The compost prepared following the windrows and vermicompost processes has been certified as fit for use as fertiliser. The testing was done by P.V.V. Prasada Rao of Department of Environmental Sciences, AU. Waste segregation Of the 1,000 tonnes of waste being produced in the city daily, roughly 500 tonne is wet waste. “Around 50% of the total wet waste, amounting to 200 tonne, is being segregated at the doorsteps and from it, about 30 tonne of compost is being prepared daily,” says Municipal Commissioner M. Hari Narayanan. The waste comprises the collections from individual households, commercial establishments and various markets in the city, he adds. At present, compost is being prepared at the facilities at Gajuwaka, K.R.M. Colony, Kapuluppada, Mudasarlova and Bhimunipatnam, with the one Gajuwaka accounting for a major quantity. The process of turning waste into compost takes 45 days. The Horticulture Wing of the GVMC is using a part of the compost while the rest is being sold for use in plantations and etc in the price range of ?2 to ?5 a kg. In a bid to promote it, Mr. Hari Narayanan has written to the Commissioner of Agriculture and Horticulture. “The contents of moisture, nitrogen, phosphate and potassium in the compost have already been estimated. Micronutrients can be added to it further as per the requirement of the crops ,” says GVMC Chief Medical Officer (Health) A. Hemanth. Awareness meeting To make the best use of the compost produced in the district, the GVMC is also planning to organise an awareness meeting with farmers and the officials of agriculture and horticulture departments. The civic officials say that the objective of segregation of waste and turning it into compost at local yards is to provide it to farmers as a substitute to chemical fertilisers. The revenue generated by the sale of compost is intended to cover a part of the huge cost incurred in transporting the waste to dump yards.

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