Ambala college sets example in green waste management

Nitish Sharma

SD College in Ambala Cantonment has set an example by producing vermicompost from its campus green waste and also of several temples, especially flowers. The college has constructed seven tanks to convert green waste into compost.

Dr Rajinder Rana, principal of the college, says, “In order to motivate students as well as manage a huge quantity of green waste of the college, a vermicompost tank was set up nearly a year ago. Initially, the results were not encouraging as worms used to die within a few days. But we started getting positive results after we engaged an expert from Yamunanagar and made some changes in the design of the tank”.

For the last few months, the college has also started collecting green waste from some temples. Daman Gambhir, a B.Sc-II student of the college, is handling the project. He along with other students of B.Sc-I collects green waste in drums placed by the college at temples and then after segregating it with the help of gardener Dharmraj converts it into compost.

Daman says, “After managing the entire green waste of our college, we have started approaching religious places. For the last three months, we are collecting green waste from the SD Temple, Shiv Temple, Shakumbra Devi Temple, Bhairon Temple and the Vishwakarma Temple. Efforts are being made to approach more religious places under the project”.

Rana says that a huge quantity of waste is produced on university and college campuses, including of food, fruits, paper, leaves, broken branches and plastic of different types. Composting is often termed as a natural process of solid waste treatment. Normal composting takes a long time for stabilisation and hence we prefer rapid composting using red worms”.

“Colour-coded dustbins have been installed to segregate waste at the source. Food and garden waste is collected and shredded in a machine installed on the college campus. The mulch is then dumped in the vermicomposting tanks for its conversion into organic manure. This manure is highly rich in nutrients and is supplied to plants on the college campus,” he adds.

Rana says, “It was an attempt to bring about a change in society. The college has collaborated with educational institutes and citizen welfare associations of Ambala City to promote the project. We have set up vermicomposting units in Sector 8 and 9 of Ambala City and SD Vidya School, Ambala Cantonment”.

The tanks have been constructed at two places that were dumpsites of the college. But after the implementation of the project, one of the areas has been turned into a botanical garden and the second will also be developed soon, he adds.

Organic manure highly rich in nutrients

In order to motivate students as well as manage a huge quantity of green waste of the college, a vermicompost tank was set up nearly a year ago. Colour-coded dustbins have been installed to segregate waste at the source. Food and garden waste is collected and shredded in a machine installed on the college campus. The mulch is then dumped in the vermicomposting tanks for its conversion into organic manure. This manure is highly rich in nutrients and is supplied to plants on the college campus.— Dr Rajinder Rana, Principal of SD College, Ambala Cantt