Garbage disposal:

Compost bins to the rescue

By Ranil Wijayapala

Maintaining the Colombo city, the commercial capital of the country, as a clean city was considered an arduous task for the city fathers handling the garbage problem a few years ago considering the 700 to 800 tonnes of garbage, daily collected from the Colombo Municipal Council limits in the absence of a major solid waste handling projects and also garbage dumping sites to dump the garbage daily collected from the city.

Major Niroshan Perera	N. Rupasinghe	Sandeepa Sewmini

Therefore, there is no argument that garbage has become an issue that has to be addressed in a step by step process, by getting the support of the people for the garbage handling process and also by introducing innovative and simple methods for the people to reduce the generation of garbage at household level.

We are aware that many steps have been taken by the city administration along with the Defence and Urban Development Ministry to educate the people towards the garbage handling process and streamline those processes, but there is no major shift in the attitude of the people towards these projects as many of the projects die a natural death before they become national level programs. Therefore, there is an urgent necessity to have programs to get the support of the general public towards this issue as it is now propelling into a national level issue.

Except for the huge garbage generation points such as markets and other public places, the households in the city are primarily responsible for the generation of garbage in the Colombo city limits.

If proper mechanisms are put in place to reduce the amount of garbage that goes to the Municipal garbage trucks at household level that will definitely be a positive factor towards solving the problem of garbage in the Colombo city limits and other cities as well.

It is natural to observe the people in the higher stratas of society urging the common masses to follow such mechanism without setting example from the top level for such programs. However, the Sunday Observer came across a set of people in high positions in the government service setting such examples to the society by reducing the amount of garbage they add to the Municipal garbage trucks by maintaining compost bins in their households.

Summit Flats

The Summit Flats, government officers quarters complex located in a highly residential area has become an area which has reduced the amount of garbage adding to the Municipal garbage trucks through the introduction of compost bins.

Kitchen waste in compost bin. Pix:Thilak Perera

Compost bins in the compund

The Sunday Observer learned that compost bins project has become a success in Summit Flats government officers quarters complex, as most of the houses have been relieved from stinking garbage sacks kept in their compounds until they are collected by the Municipal garbage trucks with the introduction of the composting bins.

The project of introducing these compost bins has resulted due to the instructions from the Secretary of Defence and Urban Development Ministry after observing the successful implementation of such project in Panagoda, Army cantonment.

Panagoda Army cantonment overcome the garbage problem under the instructions of then Security Forces Headquarter West Major General Sumith Manawaduge after reducing the amount of garbage collected from the quarters complexes and other garbage generating units within the camp. The Sunday Observer reported the success story of that project on July 21 edition in 2013.

An approach similar to Panagoda Army cantonment waste management project has been followed in the Summit Flats area also as Major Niroshan Perera, who is in charge of the waste management project in Panagoda Army cantonment has taken initiative to distribute the compost bins around 200 residences within the Summit Flats housing scheme. Now the project is going on successfully with the blessings of Commander, Security Forces Headquarters (West) Major General Sumeda Perera.

Explaining the compost bins project in Summit Flats government quarters complex Major Niroshan Perera said that after receiving instructions from the Ministry of Defence and Urban Development to implement such program in Summit Flats they have obtained 200 compost bins to be distributed in those residences free of charge.

Former Western Provincial Council Minister Udaya Gammanpila has given them 100 compost bins free of charge while Colombo Municipal Council contributed the project by issuing another 100 compost bins at a concessionary price of Rs.625 per bin.

"As it is difficult to gather all the residents in one place to educate about the project we had to educate them after having house to house visits in the scheme. We educated them how to make use of the bin effectively when distributed those bins to the houses on July 30, 2013", he said.

To avoid practical difficulties, they have filled four third of the compost bin with dried leaves as some residents are facing difficulties to collect dried leaves in their compounds. Then onwards most of the residents used to dump the organic waste such as kitchen waste, and other degradable waste into compost bins without putting them into the garbage trucks.

"To avoid bad smell emanating from the bin we instructed them to have a piece of paper over each layer of waste they put into the bin", he said.

Major resistance to implement such compost bin project comes due to the bad smell emanating from these bins. "If they putting the garbage properly by having layers of papers to cover them that can be easily avoided", Major Niroshan said.

Frequent visits by Army personnel to see whether the bins are being properly maintained has become a factor for the success of the project.

Mrs. N. Rupasinghe a teacher by profession and a housewife living in a quarters said that compost bin has become very useful to them. As residents living in upstairs they are facing difficulties in finding soil for their flower pots and the other cultivation in pots. But this compost bin is providing them much needed organic fertilizer for their cultivations.

"This system is very easy for us. Earlier we had to collect the waste until the CMC garbage truck comes and collect them from our houses three days a week. If we miss the garbage truck that becomes a huge problem for us as there is no other way of dumping them. Now we are not facing that difficulty as we have the compost bin in our compound", she said.

"Now we are only putting non-degradable waster such as polythene, plastic and other waster collected from our house to the garbage truck. All the other degradable waste we put into the compost bin", she said.

Sandeepa Sewmini, another housewife living in this quarters complex also said that the garbage bin has reduced the number of days they are putting the garbage to the garbage truck which come to collect garbage three days a week.

"With the introduction of the composting bin we are putting garbage to the truck only one or two days in a week. Only when we get excess amount of garbage we put garbage three days a week", she said.

"This is a very useful method to dump degradable waste on our own without waiting for the garbage truck.

If we follow the correct the procedures by having a piece piece of paper on it there is no bad smell coming from the bin or it does not attract flies like other garbage bins", she said.

She said due to the limited space they are having in their compounds they may not be able to make use of the fertiliser for cultivations. But the habits they are cultivating to separate garbage and dump them separately will benefit them in future.

Another housewife who wished remain anonymous said that it is better if they can give the compost produced from the bin to a project or person collecting compost for sale or any other purpose as many of the residents have no places to make use of the compost.

"If such mechanism is in put in place to this project it will be more useful. Residents will also provide the compost free of charge to those collectors", she said.

Anil Wijesinghe, CMC, Area Supervisor for the Garbage Collection in Summit Flats area told the Sunday Observer that the compost bin project has made a considerable reduction in garbage collection in Summit Flats area.

"Now we are getting only non degradable waste from the households as many of them are dumping the degradable waste into their compost bins. This also helps us to separate the garbage at our recycling projects also", he said.

"We used to collect 2.5 tonnes of garbage from these residences and this amount has reduced by almost one forth of the earlier collection", he said.

Anjalie Devaraja, Director Solid Waste Management Unit of the Colombo Municipal Council also welcome the project as a plus contribution towards the solid waste management of the Colombo city.

"It is necessary to have projects of this nature to reduce the amount of garbage comes in to our dumping sites.

If we can encourage other people also for the project so this nature we can have a drastic reduction in the daily collection of 700 to 800 tonnes of garbage from the Colombo city limits", she said. She said the CMC has implemented projects of this nature earlier also with partnership of many other organisations. "So we are encouraging to have more and more projects of this nature in the future to solve the garbage problem in the city", she said.

However, frequent monitoring of these compost bins is a must to maintain public attention more towards the bins as it was the key factor for the successful implementation of the project in Army cantonment in Panagoda.

If there is proper mechanism to collect the separated polythene, cardboard, coconut shells and glass and other e-waste at point closer to this schemes that will provide added advantage to earn much needed funds for the waste management.

If Panagoda Army cantonment could save large amount of funds that could have gone to the Pradeshiya Sabha just for dumping the garbage in their dumping sites, establishment of garbage handling units area wise will also help reduce the amount of garbage going to the dumping sites solving another burning issue in the country.