There are many ways to compost kitchen waste and there are many factors governing decomposition of kitchen waste. You just need to find your own comfort zone to make composting simple and easy.
Kitchen waste has excess moisture which needs to be removed by using any drying agent. You would have observed that if kitchen waste is kept aside it would start smelling or putrefying after a day or two. If the excess moisture is removed from the kitchen waste by adding a drying agent then the kitchen waste would decompose without much smell.
Drying agents can be either dry leaves, saw dust, shredded paper or coco peat.
You can use a combination of all these drying agents or any one of them but using only shredded paper does not give good results at all.
You cannot compost kitchen waste without a drying agent because it would begin to smell or putrefy otherwise.
DO NOT use soil as a drying agent in your compost pot as it compacts the pile thus preventing aeration of the pile and therefore the pile begins to smell bad and also soil is NOT a good drying agent at all.
Dry leaves fallen from trees is the best drying agent giving you a more nutritious compost. Also dry leaves give the compost pile an open texture creating air spaces for good aeration of the pile thus reducing smells. Dry leaves can be got from any tree lined streets in your area. It is recommended to stock up atleast 10 big bags of dry leaves during the Indian fall season of December, January and February to last you through the year.
The quantity of drying agent to be added should be such that it should be able to absorb all the excess moisture from the kitchen waste. So if kitchen waste has more moisture content then more of the drying agent should be added. If the drying agent used is dry leaves then the quantity of dry leaves would be almost double the volume of the kitchen waste.
There is no fixed ratio for drying agent and kitchen waste as moisture content of kitchen waste varies according to the fruit and vegetable waste that go into it. Some fruits and vegetables like papaya, melons and greens contain more moisture. Then more of the drying agent needs to be added.
The moisture level to be maintained in the pile should be JUST MOIST. Not too wet or not too dry but just moist. It the pile is too wet it would begin to putrefy or smell. If the pile is too dry then the kitchen waste would not decompose into finer matter but would rather only dry out which means that decomposition would not happen if the pile is too dry. So you can maintain the balance of moisture in the pile just by varying the quantity of drying agent.
Water can also be sprinkled to revive the decomposition of a dry pile but I would recommend this only if you are comfortable with the concept of composting.
Each of the above drying agents has its own capacity of absorbing moisture. Sawdust has the highest capacity to absorb moisture but the compost is more compacted and of a finer texture. So texture of the compost depends on the drying agent used.
The leaves being used for composting should be totally dry only then would it be able to absorb the moisture from the kitchen waste. The smaller the leaves the better as large leaves do not mix well with the kitchen waste. Some leaves like jack-fruit and mango leaves are not very good drying agents. Eucalyptus leaves are a total no as they inhibit decomposition of the kitchen waste and too much of neem leaves also has the same effect. A little bit of experimentation on which leaves are the best for composting would help. Rain tree leaves or bougainvillea leaves and flowers are perfect.
Leaves of trimmed trees can be dried out and used for composting.
Crushing the leaves a little before adding it to the kitchen waste would help in the better absorption of the moisture from kitchen waste and also the leaves would decompose faster thus.
Kitchen waste decomposes fast say within 2 ½ to 3 months.
After 2 ½ to 3 months you may not see any kitchen waste in your compost pot but the leaves may remain intact as leaves take longer to decompose say about 6 to 8 months. So these leaves would decompose further if the pile is kept moist by sprinkling water and stirring it regularly or by adding portions of this pile, if fairly dry, as a drying agent in your fresh cycle of composting.
By using your almost done or almost dry compost in your fresh cycle of compost as a drying agent would speed up your fresh cycle of composting as this is now rich in bio-organisms. This pile would not require any accelerator as the almost done compost would be the accelerator. That is why it is recommended to always keep a sack of almost done compost aside to be used as a drying agent and also as an accelerator.
It is only kitchen waste that poses a problem while composting, leading to a smelly pile but dry leaves never pose a problem at all. So once you can no longer see any kitchen waste in your pile and the contents are slightly dryish then you are out of the danger zone of a smelly compost.
STEPS TO COMPOSTING KITCHEN WASTE
Following is the steps to composting kitchen waste using dry leaves as the drying agent. The same technique can be followed using any of the other drying agents but do not use only shredded paper as the drying agent as the results are not very satisfactory.
1.Take any clay or terracotta pot, preferably one with good porosity, to compost your kitchen waste but please avoid using plastic bins or buckets as these lead to overly wet and smelly compost. Terracotta is a good medium to compost because of its porous nature. It aids in the removal of the moisture from the kitchen waste where as plastic containers don`t do that.
2. Empty the day`s kitchen waste and enough dry leaves into the pot. Add a spoonful of the accelerator powder and stir the whole pile thoroughly with a rake or rod.
3. Then cover the whole pile with a good layer of dry leaves and leave it for the day. The dry leaves should cover all the kitchen waste completely to avoid attracting fruit flies and mosquitoes. This layer of leaves also keeps the warmth or heat that is generated during the decomposition of kitchen waste within. This heat or warmth is very essential for good and fast decomposition.
4. The next day and everyday after that, repeat steps 2 and 3 till the pot is almost full. Do not fill the pot to the brim as turning the pile would become difficult. Add more leaves if at anytime you feel the pile is too wet. It is always better to add more dry leaves than kitchen waste into the pot. This way you would be sure that your compost pile does not putrefy or smell
Nothing would go wrong with the compost if you add more leaves. Only the decomposition process would slow down but the compost can begin to smell if the amount of leaves in the pile is less. A dry pile does not smell. So as a beginner try to keep the moisture content of the pile on the drier side by adding more leaves till you gain confidence in composting.
5. After the pot is ¾ full leave this pot aside for about 2 to 2 1/2 months till the kitchen waste biodegrades completely and in the meantime pick up another pot to begin composting. But do keep checking and stirring the pile in the previous pot or pots regularly to see that decomposition is happening and not putrefaction. At any time you feel that the pile is too wet then add more leaves and stir it up thoroughly.
A FEW POINTERS
The volume of the pile would come down with time as the moisture from the kitchen waste comes out slowly. It may take about 15 to 20 days for the moisture form the kitchen waste to come out totally. So this is the time one must keep an eye on the pile constantly to see if more of the drying agent needs to be added.
If the compost is slightly slushy and smelling bad or rotten then it means that putrefaction has set in. The only way to rectify it is by adding a lot (maybe an almost equal quantity) of leaves and stirring the whole pile up thoroughly. This pile would need to be stirred regularly till the smell disappears and more leaves need to be added if the pile is still too wet. This would happen only if you had added less leaves in the initial stages or if you had left the contents of the pile at the bottom of the pot unstirred.
If the contents at the bottom of the pile are left unstirred for long then the moisture from the kitchen waste at the bottom of the pile would make that portion wet and smelly.
That is why stirring up the whole pile regularly and adding enough dry leaves when adding kitchen waste is very important. Stirring should be such that it brings the contents at the bottom of the pot up. This does not take even a minute. Another easy way would be to transfer the contents into another pot. This way too the contents at the bottom of the pot would be on top.
Stirring the pile is for two purposes. One is to see that the kitchen waste and dry leaves mix well and come in contact with each other so that the dry leaves are able to absorb the moisture from the kitchen waste properly and the second reason is to aerate the pile, i.e., to oxygenate the pile so that aerobic bacteria thrive and not anaerobic bacteria. It is anaerobic bacteria that give out bad smells.
So smelly compost means either it is too wet or too compacted in texture or it has not been stirred properly. In a compacted compost, availability of oxygen for aerobic bacteria is less. That is why leaves with a little bit of tiny twigs is the best drying agent as they create air spaces thus aerating the pile.
Keep your compost pot preferably away from long hours of direct sunlight as the quality of compost is not that good because kitchen waste dries out rather than decomposes.
Take care that no rain water enters the compost pot. If this happens by mistake then drain out the water completely and add more leaves to the pile and stir it.
Your dry compost can be used as a drying agent in your fresh round of composting. This is how you rotate the pile from the older pot to the newer pots and manage your composting cycle within 3 to 4 pots max. By rotating the compost this way the stubborn leaves would also disintegrate and decompose further.
Do not add raw meat or meat trimmings to the compost. The compost would smell. Cooked leftover chicken or mutton bones can be added. These would take very long to decompose but would not pose any problem to the compost. Avoid adding sea-food bones.
All leftover food from you plate can be composted but avoid gravies and chutneys as beginners.
Chopped up cut flowers and de-stringed pooja flowers can also go into the compost pots.
Kitchen waste like water-melon skin, pineapple heads, cob of the corn and cauliflower stalks if cut into smaller pieces would decompose faster and large chunks of these could lead to smells.
To keep ants away from the pots either sprinkle turmeric powder to the compost pile or around the compost pot. It is a natural repellent. Otherwise place a plastic stool in a water bath and place the compost pot on the stool. This way no insects would crawl in nor would any maggots from the compost stray out.
Maggots are part of composting but don’t mistake them to be earthworms. Earthworms that are used in vermicomposting are different. They are long, red and fairly fat worms. A few maggots in the compost is OK but do not allow their numbers to increase. Proper aeration of the pile and keeping the compost pile on the drier side would contain their numbers.
Adding an accelerator to the compost pile would speed up the decomposition process. Cow dung slurry and earthworms are the best accelerators in composting. If these are not available then composting accelerators in powder or liquid form are also available in the market.
Always use a good implement to stir the compost pile. An iron rod is better than a rake.
Composting kitchen waste is simple science but you can understand it better only after you begin to compost. These instructions to composting are only a guide. You can come up with your own technique or style.
If you ever feel that you have messed up your compost don’t feel disheartened. Just empty it into a small pit in your garden and cover it up with soil and begin fresh.
The best lessons are learnt only the hard way.
GEETANJALI SRIDHARAN
geetanjalisridharan@gmail.com
13.004876
77.617362
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