Starter Kit. Idea 416 of 500. Cluster 21
Composting of hotel and market waste into a branded soil product
The mechanism, from the book
The sun shines on every roof and the island imports its fuel.
The first step
Ask three plant nurseries and two home gardeners what bagged soil or compost they buy now, where it comes from and what it costs. Then ask one hotel kitchen manager and one market committee whether they would let you collect their food waste daily at no charge. The proof is a waste source secured and a nursery owner willing to stock a trial batch at a named price.
- Who pays first
- A plant nursery or garden shop that already sells bagged potting mix and would stock a local product with a clear name and steady quality.
- What leaves today
- Hotel and market waste goes to the dump while gardeners buy bagged soil; composting turns a disposal cost into a branded product sold on the island.
Ask first
- Central Environmental Authority. Ask what approval a composting site near homes needs.
- Department of Agriculture. Ask what a compost product must meet before it is sold.
Check before you spend
Approval for the composting site, rules on smell and runoff for neighbours, and any standard a bagged soil product must meet.
Find out these three numbers
- What do nurseries pay for bagged soil now?
- How much food waste can one hotel give daily?
- At what price will a nursery stock a trial batch?
The test
Does it keep value that now leaves the island, or build the proof that lets somebody else do so?
From the appendix of Why Not Sri Lanka? by Dr Maheshika Halbeisen. The idea and the mechanism are the book's; this kit was written for the site.