RING COMPOST

A model worth emulating

By Asha P Nair

23rd December 2011 11:51 PM

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  K Raveendran Nair and wife Chandrika demonstrate the ring-compost in their house.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: While his neighbours are losing sleep over the garbage mounting in their backyards, Raveendran Nair leaves his worries dumped in two cement pipes that convert waste into manure.
‘Pranavam’, his home at Peroorkada, is the place to visit if you are one of those who are still waiting for the Kudumbashree woman to turn up to collect kitchen waste.
It was Mayor K Chandrika who, floored by the waste management in Pranavam, urged us to find out more. K Raveendran Nair and wife B Chandrika have been trying out this version of ring-composting for three years now.
Two cement pipes, one-metre long and of 10-inch  diameter, have been kept in the backyard, with a part of the pipe under the ground. Dump any waste, except plastic and cloth, into this and keep a lid over the ring’s mouth.
"Do not add water, but it’s okay to dump curries or watery items. For a single family, one such pit would be enough to dump waste for two months. When it is full, use the second pit. By the time it is full, the first would have turned into manure. We dry it and use it for terrace cultivation,’’ the couple explains the process.
For the last 15 years, Chandrika has been into gardening and terrace cultivation. The couple has stopped buying vegetables from outside for long now.
Everything, from cauliflower, green gram, lady’s finger, brinjal, chilli, cabbage, amaranthus, ‘puthina’ to snake gourd - you name it, and Pranavam grows it.
 Not just that, 15 varieties of bonsai plants - right from golden shower, banyan and tamarind - can be spotted here. Orchids, pineapple, sapota, gooseberry and even a cardamom plant all the way from Munnar have been grown.
"We go for training, seminars and anything that deals with cultivation and composting. We found this method cost-effective, rather simple, and not at all smelly. If not flats or hotels, at least independent houses can use this,’’ says Raveendran Nair. It is another matter that few in the neighbourhood have opted for the method even after his success.
"People love to sit and cry over an issue, they would not take a single and simple step to resolve it. Why should we wait for the Corporation to do this? We are not saying that everyone should start terrace farming, but at least waste management should be done by ourselves,’’ says Chandrika.
The couple has been visiting residents’ associations offering to demonstrate the composting method to the residents as a service (and not for a fee).
Raveendran Nair, a retired joint registrar of Co-operative Societies, and his wife are only eager to help others to turn to composting. Chandrika, who quit teaching to concentrate on bringing up their two boys and devote time for the terrace home cultivation, eagerly shares their contact number for those who need their help. Call 0471-2438822 or visit Pranavam, NCC Road, GSSRA-129, Peroorkada PO for more details.