A waste management researcher is encouraging residents in urban and peri-urban areas to create organic fertilizer from their kitchen waste materials.
Parivartan Sharma, the cofounder of Ecoloop Solutions Africa, noted that many households struggle with disposing of their kitchen waste.
He mentioned that institutions with kitchens but limited garden space also face difficulties when getting rid of wet waste.
Sharma explained that after observing these challenges, he and other researchers began exploring waste management solutions.
“We noticed waste accumulates daily in kitchens, dry leaves are present, kitchen bins overflow, and it takes two to three days before garbage collection,” he stated.
He discovered that not all homes could dig compost pits due to limited space.
During his research, Sharma developed the Aerobin Organic Composter, which produces both solid and liquid compost fertilizers that are highly effective.
He has been educating urban residents and university students in environmental and research fields about this technology.
Sharma described how kitchen waste such as potato and cabbage peels, banana peels, onion cutoffs, tomato waste, fruit peels, used tea leaves, and other materials are chopped into small pieces and placed inside the Aerobin Organic Composter.
The Aerobin Organic Composter is environmentally friendly as it produces no odor and doesn’t require water, additives, or electricity for decomposition.
After one month in the Aerobin Organic Composter, the waste transforms into solid and liquid manure, ready for removal and application to farm fields for planting crops.
The liquid manure serves as a foliar fertilizer that can be directly applied to plant leaves for quick absorption and enhanced growth of food crops.
The solid manure can be directly added to plant roots or applied in planting holes during cultivation seasons.
“The Aerobin Organic Composter now helps residents in estates and plots with small gardens manage their waste while producing fertilizer,” he said.
“Many people have been contacting me with questions about how the Aerobin Organic Composter works, how to use the fertilizer, and other inquiries,” he added.
Speaking with journalists recently, Sharma encouraged urban residents to consider using the Aerobin Organic Composter for waste management, highlighting that the resulting products can help them grow vegetables like cabbages, carrots, spinach, kale, tomatoes, and onions in their home gardens.
He also noted that higher education institutions have been inviting him to share his innovative approach to waste management.
In January, Sharma was invited by St Paul’s University to their main campus in Limuru, Kiambu County, for their week-long Innovation and Entrepreneurship Park event. The purpose was to equip and inspire students to develop solutions for contemporary societal challenges.