o ost or a etter environment

BY ANCIL KAPPEN

There is a consensus amongst most scientists that man's negative influence on climate change is for real. ne ay to tac le that at a asic le el is com orting a ractice most people refrain from due to a multitude of reasons. ac yard aste recycling rocess composting can help the environment and also minimise gardening e enditure.

nfortunately the ord com osting conjures up negative imagery: rummaging through decaying itchen aste orm infested soil etc. ut let s e real e ery household produces enormous kitchen and garden aste a large share of hich goes into landfill im acting the en ironment. hile some might find com osting not orth their time, others find the entire mechanism too com le to com rehend. Then there are those oblivious to the very idea of it: a description befitting many Indian immigrants ho gre u in a artments in ndia ne er en oying the lu ury of ri ate garden s ace. n ustralia e are fortunate to ha e erfectly manicured gardens. o e er hat struc me as interesting as that to maintain these s aces e uy massi e amounts of soil and com ost from sho s hen the same can e made in our ac yards. nitiating com osting com rises a fe easy ste s the first of hich includes purchasing a compost bin from your local garden store hich is designed as a bottomless container that is kept on the soil surface. The ingredients for the compost are introduced from the top and then e t co ered. They get collected at the ottom and hen ready the lo er ortion of the in is used to ull out the com ost. deally there should e t o se arate bins - for your kitchen and garden aste. Thro all the itchen scra s green aste li e uncoo ed egeta les fruit eels tea o der residue, eggshells, green leaves and the li e into the itchen in. oid meat and cooked products as they do not com ost ell. hen the green aste in is full ti it into the compost container and cover it ith the ro n aste ensure the uantity of the latter should slightly exceed the former. dd some soil if you do not ha e enough ro n residue and our ater on to of the aste mi ture. e eat the rocess until the com ost in is full. Use a pitchfork or any other long instrument to mix the components to allo air to see into e ery layer. n a out t o to three months de ending on the eather conditions rich dar com ost t can also e used as la n to soil dressing; apply it on the dry patches of your la n and le el it ith a ra e ut make sure it doesn’t cover the grass top layer. ater the la n ell for a cou le of ee s and you ill get a lush green garden. lso remem er to consult your local garden supplier or soil experts to learn more about the best practices that suit your gardening needs. from ottom u ill e ready. ull out as much as you need from the bottom lid and re eat the rocess. f you can manage t o containers at a time you ill ha e a continuous su ly of com ost.

Use the second container to store outdoor garden aste ro n aste li e dry lea es la n cli ings ar egg cartons, small cardboard pieces, ne s a ers and the li e. oid eeds as they gro inside the com ost in instead of rea ing do n.

Composting helps the environment by preventing methane formation in landfills from itchen and garden aste. Methane has a more negative impact on the en ironment than car on dio ide. Also, composting reduces the demand for chemical fertilisers hich in turn decreases chemical see age into our ater ta le.

There are many advantages to composting, like being a complement to fertilisers. se it as a otting mi or a ly it on to of an e isting garden ed. r if you ha e sandy soil mi ing it ith com ost ill enhance its uality. This mi ture ill facilitate the gro th of more tro ical flora along ith nati e lants.

Making composting a habit has numerous enefits. t im ro es connection ith the land and helps us appreciate and empathise ith our ussie farmers ho consistently attle drought and harsh soil conditions. Composting is not a magic pill, but it sure is a sustaina le solution to aste management.