Organic fertiliser could be produced from city garbage: expert
Saturday, 9 January 2010
An expert said that getting rid of the city's large quantum of garbage was no easy task, but its recycling could help keep it at minimum level apart from turning it into organic fertiliser.
"About 5000 tonnes of domestic refuses are dumped everyday in Dhaka city and its suburban areas," said Dr Mohammad Ataur Rahman, Director of Programme on Education for Sustainability of the International University of Business Agriculture and Technology (IUBAT), reports UNB.
Dr Rahman said at least 500 tonnes of organic fertilisers worth Tk 0.25 to 1.0 million could be produced everyday from the garbage. "Such organic fertilisers contain all the nutrients which may even remain absent in the manufactured ones," he told the news agency.
He said proper garbage management was essential as dumping wastes into drains causes various problems. "Much of what we throw away still has value and over half of what we throw away is recyclable."
Dr Ataur Rahman described house refuses like the trashes of vegetables and food, and the refuses of poultry and cattle farms, slaughterhouses as green garbage. "We can produce organic fertilisers from these refuses."
He said that there were some other non-degradable synthetics like plastic, polythene, synthetic fibres, foams, rubber, metals, glasses and ceramics. "By recycling these we can produce household appliances."
In Dhaka city, he said, garbage was mindlessly dumped in drains, open places and pits, if available nearby, creating public nuisance. "As garbage management is very poor, the fast degradable refuses start degrading sending bad odour into the air and polluting the environment. And ultimately the garbage is dumped in low-lying areas for land filling."
Dr Rahman said, "Green garbage is a biomass and of course it's the accumulated valuable soil nutrients which are coming from the crop-producing areas. The precious nutrients should go back to their origin. We must recycle them and ensure their reuse."
He said the responsibility of the city dwellers was not to mix non-degradable synthetics like polythene, plastic, metals, furs and feathers with the green garbage like vegetable and food refuses. People should dispose the green garbage separately in garbage pits for microbial decomposition to make compost or organic fertiliser.
Dr Ataur suggested that people should use jute or cotton bags, paper, bamboo baskets and natural fibre or woven shopping bags for easy degradation. "To save our environment, we must reduce and restrict the use of polythene," he said.
"About 5000 tonnes of domestic refuses are dumped everyday in Dhaka city and its suburban areas," said Dr Mohammad Ataur Rahman, Director of Programme on Education for Sustainability of the International University of Business Agriculture and Technology (IUBAT), reports UNB.
Dr Rahman said at least 500 tonnes of organic fertilisers worth Tk 0.25 to 1.0 million could be produced everyday from the garbage. "Such organic fertilisers contain all the nutrients which may even remain absent in the manufactured ones," he told the news agency.
He said proper garbage management was essential as dumping wastes into drains causes various problems. "Much of what we throw away still has value and over half of what we throw away is recyclable."
Dr Ataur Rahman described house refuses like the trashes of vegetables and food, and the refuses of poultry and cattle farms, slaughterhouses as green garbage. "We can produce organic fertilisers from these refuses."
He said that there were some other non-degradable synthetics like plastic, polythene, synthetic fibres, foams, rubber, metals, glasses and ceramics. "By recycling these we can produce household appliances."
In Dhaka city, he said, garbage was mindlessly dumped in drains, open places and pits, if available nearby, creating public nuisance. "As garbage management is very poor, the fast degradable refuses start degrading sending bad odour into the air and polluting the environment. And ultimately the garbage is dumped in low-lying areas for land filling."
Dr Rahman said, "Green garbage is a biomass and of course it's the accumulated valuable soil nutrients which are coming from the crop-producing areas. The precious nutrients should go back to their origin. We must recycle them and ensure their reuse."
He said the responsibility of the city dwellers was not to mix non-degradable synthetics like polythene, plastic, metals, furs and feathers with the green garbage like vegetable and food refuses. People should dispose the green garbage separately in garbage pits for microbial decomposition to make compost or organic fertiliser.
Dr Ataur suggested that people should use jute or cotton bags, paper, bamboo baskets and natural fibre or woven shopping bags for easy degradation. "To save our environment, we must reduce and restrict the use of polythene," he said.