67 per cent of solid waste can be used for composting
THE National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) is reporting that its composting pilot project in the parish of Hanover is showing positive signs, and will soon be moved to full implementation.
According to executive director of the public cleansing agency Audley Gordon, people are showing a willingness to “try composting,” and the NSWMA will be teaching the proficiency, because “we believe that it can pull a substantial portion of the garbage into different directions”.
In an interview with JIS News, Gordon said 67 per cent of the garbage that the agency collects “we can convert that into rich soil nutrient…we don’t have to buy fertiliser if we go composting, it produces the best soil nutrient that we can have,” he said.
Combining compostable material with soil, air and water helps to introduce microorganisms necessary for decomposition. It is recommended that the compost be turned with a shovel fortnightly to help the process.
“If we begin to have a culture of composting in Jamaica and pull that 67 per cent of the garbage out, you will need less trucks because all that would be left is 33 per cent. A portion of that is recyclable, and “you soon will end up with less garbage and would need less acreage of your disposable facility,” the NSWMA executive director said.
The compost is beneficial as a fertiliser as its nutrients are not washed away by rainfall. It also helps to retain soil moisture. Other benefits are that it keeps organic material out of landfills reduces the production of methane gas. Methane is a more harmful greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide and is created when organic matter decomposes without oxygen.
He also said that over 300 communities are benefiting from the NSWMA plastic separation project, which provides biodegradable bags to collect plastic bottles for recycling, removing more harmful products from the environment.
Director of operations at the agency, Aretha McFarlane, said the ‘Drum a Di Gate’ initiative has delivered 1,000 drums to the targeted communities, and “we have seen some improvements in the areas, and persons are very receptive to the project,” and they are containing their waste.
