Utilizing the Dry Leaves for Organic Compost, RWA Efforts

Defense Colony in South Delhi is managing the piles of leaves in shedding season rather than leaving the task to the Municipal Corporations, several Residents’ Welfare Associations have created composting pits to keep their localities clean while producing their own mulch for parks and gardens. The RWA Defence Colony has set up six brick pits and each churns out around 300kg of organic compost every three months.

According to Shri Shammi Talwar advocates the initiatives and informed “Ours is a self-sustaining model. We sell the compost at Rs.10 per kilo, most of it to colony residents who appreciate its high quality.” Talwar began the project in 2004 when there were no online groups or resources available to help in an effort.

"Burning leaves inside the colony is unimaginable,” declares Talwar. “We have a large number of neem trees, and the compost that we produce from their leaves is especially enriched and prevents plants from being attacked by pests.”

Residents at Munirka Enclave are using vermicomposting to produce organic manure at their park. Tree leaves collected in six pits are processed into compost by earthworms in a matter of months.

The Residents of Dwarka’s Sector 6 too created four composting pits last year. “We started them at around this time last year when a lot of dry leaves is available. We plan to extend this exercise to other parks,” discloses V Selvarajan, President of NGO Greencircle, which started this project. According to him, residents and NGO members coordinate activities through WhatsApp.

Another colony Pushpanjali in East Delhi is also  using technology to manage green waste. Priyanka Dev, a waste segregation enthusiast, says they have installed a wire-mesh leaf collector in the park there for composting and employ Whats App to periodically remind like-minded people in the area to collect plant waste and deposit them at the composting area. “Our compositing unit has just reached its full capacity and we have no more space for leaves. We expect a good yield before the planting season begins,” said Dev.

Dev added, “We have briefed the garbage collectors about segregation and composting, but I don’t think the Municipal Corporation has the infrastructure to deal with green waste. Everything reaches the landfill.”