2.1 Method of Preparation of Vermicompost
A thatched roof shed preferably open from all sides with unpaved (katcha) floor is erected in
EastWest
direction length wise to protect the site from direct sunlight. A shed area of
12’X12’ is sufficient to accommodate three vermin beds of 10’X3’ each having 1’ space in
between for treatment of 912
quintals of waste in a cycle of 4045
days. The length of shed
can be increased/decreased depending upon the quantity of waste to be treated and
availability of space. The height of thatched roof is kept at 8 feet from the centre and 6 feet
from the sides. The base of the site is raised at least 6 inches above ground to protect it from
flooding during the rains. The vermin beds are laid over the raised ground as per the
procedure given below [6]. The site marked for vermin beds on the raised ground is watered
and a 4”6”
layer of any slowly biodegradable agricultural residue such as dried
leaves/straw/sugarcane trash etc. is laid over it after soaking with water. This is followed by
1” layer of Vermi compost or farm yard manure. The loaded waste is finally covered with a
Jute Mat to protect earthworms from birds and insects. Water is sprinkled on the vermin beds
daily according to requirement and season to keep them moist. The waste is turned upside
down fortnightly without disturbing the basal layer (vermin bed).The appearance of black
granular crumbly powder on top of vermin beds indicate harvest stage of the compost.
Watering is stopped for at least 5 days at this stage. The earthworms go down and the
compost is collected from the top without disturbing the lower layers (vermin bed). The first
lot of Vermi compost is ready for harvesting after 22
½ months and the subsequent lots can
be harvested after every 6 weeks of loading. The vermin bed is loaded for the next treatment
cycle. A tractor load of MSW is collected and it is dumped in the dump yard.
• The MSW is segregated i.e all the dry wastes such as clothes, carry bags and other
dry wastes are segregated from wet waste.
• The wet waste is pulverized and arranged in the form of bed of dimensions as per the
table below.
• The bed is wetted and the compost is prepared according to the above procedure
shown in images[1] to [11].
• There will no changes in the dimensions of bed and in the weight of MSW when it
changes to vermin compost.