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Composting Non –Infectious Bio- Degradable Waste
Source: Toxics Link, Date: , 2013
Nature has
bestowed upon us everything we wished
for, in some or the other way. We are
utilizing every resource given by nature to the fullest and in return we are
belching out harmful by products.
The land available for dumping the waste is limited and gradually approaching its limit. Hence, there is a need to employ appropriatewaste management practices that rid us of the need of dumping grounds and also allow resource recovery.
Composting the biodegradable waste is one such system and provides us with nutrient‐rich, weed‐free organic manure that can help restore the fertility of the land while also benefitting the environment.
Hospitals are supposed to be
centers of healing. It goes without saying that hospitals should not be
contributing in any way to factors that negatively affect the health of the
environment. But, one also has to understand the fact that hospitals are under
constant budgetary pressure, be it from revenue limitations or escalating
operational costs. The ever increasing inflow of population also lays a lot of
pressure on the assimilative capacity of our healthcare facilities in terms of
providing quality healthcare along with other basic amenities.
A high occupancy rate is a
desirable aspect from the point of view of revenue generation. But this would
also mean increased waste generation; especially degradable waste. Composing,
in this context, can be as a cost effective and environmentally sound way of
managing non infectious food waste and other horticulture generated in a
hospital.
Composting involves mixing yard and other
organic waste in a pile or bin and providing conditions
that encourage decomposition. The decomposition
process is fueled by millions of microscopic
organisms (bacteria, fungi) that take up residence inside the compost pile, continuously devouring and
recycling it to produce a rich organic fertilizer and valuable soil amendment.
Thus composting,
if carried out under standard conditions
of temperature, moisture, pH,
etc. gives quality manure which has good
market value. Also, rag‐pickers can be trained to carry out
composting of the waste collected by
them instead of foraging on the
dumping grounds .This enhances their
means of livelihood and also frees them
from having to work in the hellish
conditions of the dumping grounds. Thus,
this waste management system has a
three‐pronged benefit on economic,
environmental and social fronts.
It’s a fairly simple process that requires minimal effort. With the increased quantities
of waste that hospitals are generating, owing
in part to the
rising population density in the
metropolitan cities, our landfills are
slowly running out of space to accommodate the
waste. Add to that the massive hole
being blown in the city’s coffers by
the infrastructure to collect and transport
this waste and the government is
looking at a situation that needs
immediate resolving solutions .
We have come to adopt an attitude of “out of sight, out of mind” with waste when, in reality, it is an enormous warehouse of resources. It is of great importance for the economy and the planet that various
industries implement an effective waste management system in
place and who is better than the hospitals to lead this initiative.
- By Rahul Thampi
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