Abstract :

Vermicomposting is the natural process of compost formation by converting organic wastes into organic fertiliser utilising earth worms and cow dung. It is being widely used for solid waste management. Many species of earthworms are utilised in this process such as Eisenia fetida, Eudrilus eugeniae, Eisenia andrei, Lampito rubellus and Drawida willis. They feed on the organic waste to produce vermicompost, vermiwash and more earthworms as resultant products. Composting process with this technique takes around 28-120 days and it depends upon the type of worms and organic waste used. Kirori Mal College of the University of Delhi is pioneer in adopting the vermicomposting on a large scale. It has put 15 beds in place in its nursery. This set of fifteen composting beds is able to utilise about 1.7 tons of dry leaves in a single cycle and converts them into very nutritious fertilizer. As we could run four such cycles in a year, the Kirori Mal College has the potential of consuming about seven tons of dry leaves annually and put it to a better use, which otherwise, would have been a responsibility of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi. Along with the vermicompost, the process also produces vermiwash, a concentrated liquid fertilizer, which is stored and is being utilized after dilution. The vermicomposting also leads to rapid multiplication of earthworms, which can be sold in the market and the spare ones can be utilised for the next cycle. Vermicomposting for the disposal of the dry organic waste is very cost effective and energy efficient.

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Keywords :

Cost Effective, eco-friendly, Energy saving, Solid waste disposal and management, Vermicompost, Vermiwash.

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