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Environment
matters: Home composting project
Our
regular readers will notice that the name of our column has changed.
Trash Talk is now Environment Matters. This is no accident, the
CWSA has recently established a department specifically to cater
to the needs of all our customers, thus the scope of all our programmes
has been extended, and this column will not just address issues
of solid waste, we will also focus on water, sewerage and as the
name implies wider environmental issues.
In
this article we will discuss a project that has recently been
launched by CWSA - a Home Composting Project, and the benefits
to be derived from national involvement in this project. Over
the next year, Vincentians are urged to become involved and register
with the Solid Waste Management Unit/CWSA. We will offer guidance
and advice, how-to videos on composting, and special bins for
selected customers. During the first two weeks of October 2004,
individual projects will be judged and special prizes will be
given to the top ten home composting projects.
Since
the inception of the CWSA, the use of the 4Rs approach to solid
waste management has been advocated. The 4 Rs are Reduce, Recycle,
Reuse and Recover through Composting. If we examine the 4 Rs in
detail we would realise that three of them feed into one - Reduce.
The other three are also intertwined, we recycle by reusing, for
example used PET bottled can be recycled to produce T-shirts and
rugs, thus reducing the need for new materials; similarly when
we compost we are actually recycling green waste to recover a
soil amendment called humus.
Humus
is a valuable ingredient in gardening. It reduces erosion, retains
soil moisture, and reduces the dependence on commercial fertilizers.
It stands to reason therefore that fruits and vegetables grown
with humus will be far more healthy and wholesome than those grown
with commercial fertilizers. To look at the bigger picture though,
backyard composting is vital if we are to achieve our goal of
effective solid waste management with all its implication for
economic and national development. The amount of waste reaching
the landfill will be reduced as well as collection and disposal
costs. Green waste also produces leachate and gases in the landfill
creating odours and possible pollution of groundwater.
Composting
is the responsible thing to do. If you have more green waste than
you can use at home, we ask that you bring it to the Diamond Landfill
where a Windrow composting project is in operation. No other type
of waste should be mixed in with the green waste.
Application
forms for Home Composting are available at the CWSA Headquarters,
the CWSA's office in Georgetown, and at the landfill offices on
the mainland and in the Grenadines. Registration by telephone
will also be accepted.
The
Vincentian, 7th November 2003
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