Vermicomposting; Requirements, Procedure and Advantages

Vermicomposting; Requirements, Procedure and Advantages

The Environment Department of Kathmandu Metropolitan city says, more than 60 % of the total municipal solid waste is organic degradable waste. Segregation of waste at source is the most important step for the solving solid waste problem of Capital. How can we manage organic waste in home? The answer is Vermicomposting.

Vermicomposting is the method of making compost which involves joint action of earthworm and microorganism.

The importance of vermicomposting can be summarized as -

      Management of organic waste

      Simple technology

      Eco-friendly

      Waste reduction at the source

And the advantages at glance are-

      Income generation

      High quality manure production

      Small place

      Odorless, if manage properly

All the earthworms may not be suitable for compost making. Some of the effective compost making worms are-

      Eisenia foetida

      Eudrillus eugineal

      Lumbricus rubellus

      Perionyx excavatus

      Perionyx fovatus

      Lampito mauritti

There are some characteristics of the worms which make this species suitable for composting. The characteristics of composting making worms are-

      Fast multiplying nature

      Simple and quick digestive system

      Silent nature

      Prefer garbage

The detail procedure of the vermicomposting can be summarized as follows-

1. Selection of container-

Following can be used as the container for vermicomposting-

v  Wooden box

v  Plastic bucket/box

v  Bamboo container (Tokari)

v  Cement ring

v  Tyre

v  Ceramic container

2. Making outlet-

3. Preparation & Placement of beds           

Materials that can be used for bedding are-

2.       Saw dust

3.       Paper

4.       Coconut coir

5.       Dry leaves

6.       Hay

7.       Clothes waste

8.       Jute sacs

4. Spreading of cow dung

5. Placement of compost making worms

6. Covering with organic waste

7. Covering the container

   Organic waste into compost.

     It is very important to know how to separate worms after the preparation of the compost. Following are the procedures for it- 

• Removal of Surface foods from the top

• Take prepared vermicompost/ turn the container upside down

• Arrange the contents (vermicompost) in a cone shape

• Leave for 10 minutes

• Let the worms gather at the bottom 
• Collect the vermicompost from the top
• Transfer the worms in a new container

The product can be sold at market-

There are few precautions for effective and sustainable vermicomposting. Some of them are-

ü  Temperature control/Food Quantity

ü  Water Quantity

ü  Light Intensity

ü  pH maintenance

ü  Change into new beds

ü  Control from enemies of worms

The other products of vermin technologies are vermin wash which is very fruitful in rooftop/indoor gardening.