Why NOT to compost in a city like mumbai...

Iv been meaning to do this article for a while now....the sudden increase in organic gardeners have also seen the increase organic oracles...for them composting is an integral part of gardening and each feeling their formulas are better than the other...the continuous jibber jabber has kinda got me thinking is composting really all that its said to be...i beg to differ for all the garden gurus out there.
The per sq ft prices are sky rocketing and the space for our plants have become lesser than ever...10 plants in our balcony is all the green we have in our home spaces.and to actually have a composting bin for 10 plants is ludicris to say the least...lemme list out my problems with home composting for you:-

1)Quantity:We live in a day where i get people in the nursery who add manure to their plants every week iv heard some absolutely hilarious stories of how people advised them two table spoons twice a week with neem water and some other stinky stuff...plants are simple beings and plants in mumbai homes do not need so much fuss if u do the basics right they will thrive.Add manure ice a month or for some plants even less frequent to keep them in best health.Always remember if to little is bad...to much is devastating!

2)Space:Whether you are using a commercially available bin or just starting your own compost pile, you will need to devote some of your home to compost. While aesthetics are not as important to some people than others, a pile of compost or a big bin can stand out in a green space that has your food,flowers and greens.and the idea of a compost pit so near to ur food plants is simply repelling! If you have big bungalows with a large yard you could possibly consider making ur bins in a far corner out of sight but its simply not practical to keep em in our little homes.

3)The emissions: We keep plants in our homes not just for the aesthetics but for the aroma of the flowers..the continuous supply of clean fresh oxygen.As things rot and decay, they emit a bad odor. Even though most compost bins are self-contained units, there is the chance the stench of the composing food and plant matter will emit into your home. One way to cut down on the smell is make sure food items are buried deep into the compost or just don't compost food at all, a compost pit at home may enable you to transform your house waste into free fertilizers but did u know Carbon dioxide (CO2 ), methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) are all by-products of the composting process.
4)Pests: the pile/pit/bin of composting is a hot bed for pest rats,bugs,roaches,mosquitoes.....and i know people will tell u otherwise(i speak from experience on my farm we have a huge composting pit...far away from the house )Mice may make beds in compost piles, but placing the pile away from buildings helps prevent any issues with the rodents. Enclosing the pile prevents many pests from entering the bin. Also, avoid adding meat or dairy to the pile. These items not only smell as they decompose, they also attract nuisance stray animals

5)Time: Elaborate recipes ,turning ,tumbling, adding, subtracting ,cleaning....blah blah blah blah...ur gardening ur not making a master chef recipe for heavens sake keep it simple who has the time in this city to do all this i own more than 25,000 plants in the nursery and more than 1,00,000 on the farm and i don't do have any recipe for my compost.On the farm we have workers who regularly water the pile and turn them...thats it! green leaves and vegetable waste is all we add.

WHAT NOT TO COMPOST: here is a list of things you seriously need to avoid in ur composting bins!

1)Cooking oil: Smells like food to animal and insect visitors. It can also upset the compost's moisture balance.

2)Diseased plants: Trash them, instead. You don't want to transfer fungal or bacterial problems to whatever ends up growing in your finished compost.

3)Heavily coated or printed paper: This is a long list, including magazines, catalogs, printed cards and most printed or metallic wrapping paper. Foils don't break down, and you don't need a bunch of exotic printing chemicals in your compost.

4)Human or animal feces: Too much of a health risk. This includes kitty litter. Waste and bedding from non-carnivorous pets should be fine.

5)Meat products: This includes bones, blood, fish and animal fats. Another pest magnet.

6)Milk products: Refrain from composting milk, cheese, yogurt and cream. While they'll certainly degrade, they are attractive to pests.

7)Rice: Cooked rice is unusually fertile breeding ground for the kinds of bacteria that you don't want in your pile. Raw rice attracts varmints.

8)Sawdust: So tempting. But unless you know the wood it came from was untreated, stay away.

9)Stubborn garden plants: weeds which will probably regard your compost heap as a great place to grow, rather than decompose.

10)Used personal products: Tampons, diapers and items soiled in human blood or fluids are a health risk.

11)Pizza boxes: Too much grease. While some compost enthusiasts steer clear of adding pizza box cardboard to their pile, others report no problems. It's that or the trash.

12)Medical waste: Syringes, tubing, scalpels and other biohazards should be disposed as such.

Community composting:Composting in the city has huge scopes if housing societies take to them in a big way in a far flung corner of the building you could compost successfully.let every1 contribute separate bio degradable and non bio degradable waste keep glass bottles separately then and only then is composting a good idea in the city. Educate the residents on the benefits but alo tell them the disadvantages i know every1 wants to make a difference but doing it the right way is important.For any guidance help in setting up community compost bins feel free to contact us here at vriksha.