Compost from household waste
Management of household waste is becoming a major problem for many larger towns and cities in sub-Saharan Africa. In spite of the efforts of municipal authorities, refuse and rubbish of every sort continues to pile up with all its attendant health hazards. At the same time, soil fertility is in decline, particularly in surrounding urban areas where the soil has been over-exploited and where there has been little attempt to restore its organic content. As a result, the physical, chemical and biological state of the soil is poor. About half of all household refuse is organic in content and could therefore be used to help solve the problem of soil degradation. A Burkinabe scientist has developed a simple method for composting refuse in a way that is appropriate at household level. The principal steps in the method are as follows: Select rubbish which is easily biodegradable for composting. Mix it with crop residues such as straw, grass, or other organic matter, for example, sawdust. Make compost heaps by alternating layers of refuse, crop residues etc. and water copiously until liquid seeps out of the heap. Use poultry droppings or cattle dung as a means of adding micro-organisms. Turn the heap regularly and incorporate earthworms into the compost material. After two months a good quality compost will have formed which, after sieving, can be used for growing vegetable crops and cereals. Abdoulaye Sereme Laboratoire de chimie organique appliquée University of Ougadougou 03 BP 7021 Ougadougou 03 BURKINA FASO
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| Format: | News Item biblioteca |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation
1997
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| Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/48911 https://hdl.handle.net/10568/99582 |
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