The Goa Garbage Times

Published by the Goa Foundation For private circulation only

Also published on the Internet at http://www.goacom.com/goafoundation/gtimes
Second Issue: April 2002

Goa Foundation Experiments in Vermicomposting

Garbage: The Clock is Ticking

Municipal Councils in Goa are still not showing any great enthusiasm
for dealing with their increasing loads of garbage. Only the Municipal
Councils of Panaji and Mormugao have schemes in operation which are
designed to bring their garbage processing in line with the Municipal Solid
Waste Rules, 2000 issued under the Environment Protection Act, 1986.
Even these two Councils are still only able to process a small portion of
their organic waste.

Earthworm-based garbage processing

units succeed in Goa

Panaji Municipal Councils efforts to reduce its organic waste using

earthworms has received a setback after Mapusa Municipal Council began adding around 12 truckloads of additional waste at Curca.
As the table given below indicates, all Municipal Councils by law are
supposed to have scientifically managed landfill sites before the end of
next year (December 31, 2003).
All Municipal Councils are way behind in implementing improvement
programmes for existing garbage sites. In fact, several existing sites like
those at Sonsoddo, Pilerne, Ponda etc. are being operated illegally because waste dumping is going on at such sites in violation of existing
regulations. Citizens living in such areas must take up the matter with
their local Councils. If they dont, no one can really help them and these
dumping sites are bound to develop into major nightmares.
Better technologies for processing garbage (wet wastes) are already
available. At the Goa Foundation (see story alongside), designs have been
perfected for the processing of solid wastes (including paper) with the use
of specialised earthworms in specially designed brick bins made to last
forever and work permanently. These bins are quite low cost, and in
addition to tackling garbage, can also generate excellent compost which
can be used liberally to improve the soil in existing municipal gardens.
The Goa Foundation will now experiment with designs for garbage
processing using the Effective Microorganisms (EM) technology being
propagated by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, Ela, Old Goa.
Unfortunately there is yet no technology available that will help stimulate interest of local bodies in problems of waste management. Members
of local bodies continue to be convinced that the main reason for their
membership of such bodies is to grant licenses and approvals for buildings and gaddas.
It bears repeating that Municipal Councils were set up first for tackling
problems of drainage, sanitation and garbage. These are their primary
duties. No Council may claim it cannot carry out these duties because it
has no funds. Councils that are incapable of dealing with adequate processing of garbage generated in their jurisdiction are better dissolved, as
the problem of managing garbage is getting worse and worse and any
further delays are bound to have very serious repercussions on public
health.
The same can be said about Panchayats. They too cannot absolve themselves of the problem of tackling the ubiquitous garbage in their respective village areas. If help is required, then ask for it. The Goa Foundation
is willing to help those who wish to install vermiculture schemes for processing garbage at panchayat or council level. But no one is asking.

Important Dates for Implementation of the MSW

Rules by Municipal Councils in Goa
No.

Compliance Criteria

Schedule

1.

Setting up of waste processing

and disposal facilities or earlier

By 31.12.2003

2.

Monitoring the performance of waste

processing and disposal facilities

Once in 6 months

3.

Improvement of existing landfill sites

as per provisions of these rules

By 31.12.2001
or earlier

4.

Identification of landfill sites for future use By 31.12.2002

and making site(s) ready for operation
or earlier

Vermicomposting unit with two chambers in the St. Brittos Apartments, Mapusa.
The Goa Foundation is pleased to announce that its project for converting
garbage into compost, using friendly earthworms, has produced satisfactory
results. The project, which is assisted by the Department of Science, Technology and Environment, Government of Goa, was carried out at four different
sites, namely: Assagao, Mapusa, Parra and St. Inez. Vermicomposting units
were constructed at each of these places and staff of the Foundation have
been monitoring performance. The experiments have been successful.
Dhempe College Zoology students adopted the bins for their project work
and submitted a detailed evaluation of their efficiency.
In March 2001, the Goa Foundation, along with Department of Science and
Technology, embarked on a project on helping village panchayats and municipal to implement garbage regulations in force in the State of Goa. After
circulating relevant information on garbage regulations in different panchayats
and municipal councils, the Foundation moved over to the second phase of its
project, which was to work on practical designs for earthworms bins.
The designs of these bins and the selection of appropriate species of earthworms were done in consultation with Patil Vermi farms from Gadag,
Karnataka. They were constructed by local masons and the covers and roofing were fabricated in local garages.
The results of the earthworm experiments are now printed on pages 3-6 of
this newspaper. (Pages 3-6 have been designed as an independent pullout
which can be used to instruct masons and any one else on how to construct
such earthworm bins on their own. These pages are also available in Marathi).
However, the Goa Foundation staff is ever willing to assist Panchayats and
Councils which may want day to day supervision when these bins are being
constructed.
The Goa Foundation will also arrange to supply earthworms at their market cost from reliable suppliers.
The best resource for vermicomposting is locally available organic material. A vegetable grower or a vendor can use rotting vegetables, a dairy farmer
can use cattle dung, a farmer can use agrowaste, a person at home or at a
restaurant can use kitchen waste and so on. The earthworms eat almost anything including jute sacks, cartons, paper, excreta, waste food, agricultural
waste.
The Goa Foundation offers free advice on ways to install such vermicompost
units. Its staff will also monitor the condition and success of such bins for a full
year. For this, please call Krishna Porob at the Goa Foundation phone number: 256479 during office hours.

This newsletter on solid waste management in Goa is brought to you by the Goa
Foundation, G-8, St. Brittos Apts., Feira Alta, Mapusa, Goa - 403507.
Telephone: (0832) 263305, 256479
email: oib@goatelecom.com
Printed at Maureens Offset, Rua da Ourem, Panaji, Goa.

The Goa Garbage Times

Bicholims Sharada Nagar leads the way in proper waste

and garbage disposal
Sharada Nagar is a colony of 50 cottages, located in Bicholim taluka, about
1.5 km from Bicholim town. The residents are mostly primary school teachers. The entire colony, about 15 years
old, is clean and one neither sees heaps
of rubbish lying everywhere nor any
plastics flying around. The internal
roads of the colony are well maintained
and clean as are the compounds of the
individual households.
The inhabitants of the colony have
no need of public dustbins to keep their
area clean. Instead they have devised
their own methods and arrangements
for dealing with household garbage.
The Bicholim Municipal Council once
installed a dustbin in the colony but
the people refused to throw anything
there. When even after two months
the bin was empty as ever, the BMC
removed the bin.
Ms. Deepa Halgekar, one of the residents whom we met, is typical. She has
a compost pit for kitchen and garden
waste. The organic material is deposited daily in the pit and covered with
mud to keep away flies and prevent
bad odour. The pit fills up within three
to four months. When it is full, a similar one is dug nearby. The closed pit is
opened after around six months and
its contents are used for gardening
purposes. There are four covered pits
in the Halgekars compound. There
were no signs of rats or foul or offensive smell either near the closed pits or
the one in current use.
In this colony the vermicompost pits
vary in size from house to house. Some
were 1x1x1 cubic feet; others were
larger or smaller. Some have lined the
four sides of the pits with laterite stones.
Even during the rainy season, the pits
function well and are not required to
be shifted elsewhere. Come rain, come
shine, the pits seem to be functioning
marvelously, creating no problems and
producing only fertilizer.
The residents of Sharada Nagar
make it a point to use plastic only if
absolutely necessary. Whatever plastic is used is kept aside and when the
Bicholim Municipal Council (BMC)
truck comes around, the plastic wasted
is loaded into it. Also when big trees,
or banana plants are cut they are
handed over to the BMC truck. Simi-

Vermicomposting at
Shiroda H.S. School
Vanashree Nature Club of Shiroda
Higher Secondary School installed a
vermicomposting unit recently. The
project was conducted by World Wide
Fund for Nature India, Goa State, under the India Canada Environment
Facility. Subhash Shirodkar, Chairman
of the Higher Secondary, said that in
six months time at least 10 new
vermicomposting projects will be carried out. G. B. Phadnis, Nature Club
Advisor of Vanashree Nature Club
pledged to take responsibility for
sustainability of the project in the
school along with the students.
Syanora Dantas (Assagao) was the
resource person. Wilbur Vaz, Asst.
Education Officer, World Wide Fund
For Nature India, Goa State coordinated the activity.

larly, other wastes like bulbs, tube

lights and bulk material are also
handed over to the BMC truck.
The residents buy milk directly
from the dairy cooperative, so they
dont face the problem of disposing of
plastic milk bags, which have become
a major curse elsewhere. Many people
in the colony do burn their dry garden waste including leaves, etc, but
keep the ashes for their plants. Very
few people do burn their household
garbage, but no one throws away garbage. That is how they keep their
colony clean.
The Goa Foundation wanted to
know how it all started and this is what
Deepa Halgekar narrated: The people
here are all teachers or headmasters.
Everyone was conscious of keeping
ones surroundings clean. Everyone
wanted to live in a civilised manner.
Someone started the system of
composting organic waste and keeping the rest of the garbage within the
premises till it could be disposed of
and everyone else followed suit. It is
fifteen years now, so we cant really
say who started it first.
The lesson one can learn from
Sharada Nagar colony is that we must
unlearn the association we have between garbage and throw away. We
should not throw away garbage. Instead, we have to dispose of it responsibly because we have created it. Used
properly, even garbage fetches returns. It is when we throw away garbage that the problem begins.

Garbage Collection at
Sapna Gardens
Sapna Gardens lies within the jurisdiction of V.P. Socorro. Without any help
from the V.P. the colony has started a
garbage disposal system of its own.
The builder, when constructing the residential units, left no space to install bins
or to set up of composting pits and as
such the residents had to be convinced
about the need for a scientific method
of waste management. Ms. Lisa
Norohna took the initiative and tirelessly moved towards this goal. She
first convinced the residents of Sapna
Gardens about waste segregation and
explained to them how to do it. Then
she set up a small place for four bins:
one for biodegradable waste which
was to be wrapped in 3-4 sheets of
newspaper, one for metal and glass,
one for plastic, one for sanitary napkins. After considerable work, the
scheme is now working to the satisfaction of the residents.
It is becoming increasingly clear that
only those building colonies that make
their own effort to process their organic waste using earthworms or other
agents will succeed in keeping their
environment clean. As existing dump
sites get filled up and people in villages
object to the opening of new dump
sites, municipal councils and
panchayats will require people to compost their waste within their own premises.

Verem Villa residents successfully implement

vemicomposting solutions for colony garbage

Vermicomposting unit of Verem Villas Colony

In a novel experiment of recycling their
biodegradable waste, residents of the
Verem Villas situated along the
Mandovi river have initiated, though
with difficulties, the environment
friendly vermiculture process to keep
their vicinity clean.
The garbage disposal system at
Verem Villas is the brainchild of Cho
and Marguerite Padamsee, a couple
residing at the complex, a row of 28
houses. Only four villas are occupied
throughout the year. Others are used
only during holidays.
When the Padamsees came to Goa
in 1993 to settle down, one of the first
things that they noticed in their new
residence was that there were simply
no bins anywhere in the complex.
Upon inquiry they were informed that
the easiest way to dispose of the garbage (and a practice generally adopted
by all persons living in the area) was to
throw it directly into the Mandovi
river).
They were aghast at the suggestion
and immediately set about remedying
what they considered extremely uncivilized behavior. No river will take
care of tonnes of garbage emptied daily
into it, was the thought that was uppermost in their minds as they set
about convincing the residents to have
separate bins, one for biodegradable
garbage and the other for recyclable
and non-biodegradable garbage like
plastic, metal, etc.
Fortunately, the residents welcomed the idea and it was decided to
install two bins in front of and at each
end of the row of houses. But the
people had also to be trained to segregate their garbage at home, tie it up
neatly in a polybag and empty it into
the bins. A garbage collector would
then collect the garbage once a week
and take it away.
The bin (4x4x4 cubic feet) has a cover
and a smaller lid to put garbage. The
bins are well maintained, cleaned and
painted regularly. One can see no garbage around the bins. The watchman
sees to it that the residents use the bins
only. Since the bins are covered there
are no stray animals hovering around
the place and the bins are a valuable
asset of the complex, a possession capable of being exhibited and not an eye
sore to be hidden away from the public gaze.

This arrangement continued for

quite sometime although the residents
did notice one major problem: the garbage would stink while it waited the
week out. Recently, however, Verem
Villas started vermicomposting the biodegradable waste.
Now they use both the bins for nonbiodegradable and recyclable waste
and have all the wet garbage sent directly to the compost pit. The
composting pit is 6x3x3 cubic feet, located just outside the Superintendents
office. All four sides of the pit are cemented and the base is plain earth. The
pit is covered and has a lid through
which garbage can be added. The Superintendent (Mr. Sanjay Shirodkar) is
responsible for the garbage disposal
arrangements.
We enquired with Mrs. Padamsee if
there were any problem areas and she
mentioned the following:
1. Not everyone complies strictly
with the rules regarding segregation
of waste. While the permanent residents segregate garbage properly,
those who visit occasionally are not
bothered very much about such practices.
2. Household maids used to earlier
find that they had to walk the entire
stretch of the complex to deposit biodegradable garbage in one bin and
non-biodegradable in the other as the
bins were located at either ends of the
complex. So they would take the shortcut and throw everything in one bin.
Even now they have to throw in two
places but as the compost pit is more
centrally located, the complaints are
fewer.
3. The amount of garbage varies
with the number of people staying in
the place, so it is difficult to maintain
perfect composting arrangements.
Sometimes the earthworms have simply disappeared: either there was not
enough composting material and so
they died of starvation or perhaps they
didnt like the nature of the garbage
sent for composting and migrated elsewhere. Obviously this problem will be
remedied with experience.
4. No one knows as yet what to do
with non-biodegradable garbage. Fortunately, the residents of Verem Villas
do not have the attitude out of sight
is out of mind and they are working
on how best to solve this problem too.

The Goa Garbage Times

Designs for earthworm-based garbage bins for Single Family Residences

Dual Chamber unit - section drawing
Netting for the Chamber

Voids

0.30

1 Pipes (PVC) for Aeration

0.30

1.00 mts

Roughage

0.15m

1 PVC Pipe for Drainage

Bed of Cement
Brick

0.10 0.10

Plan of the Dual Chamber unit (for picture refer to page 1)

PCC Bed
Water Channel

Chamber 2

0.80 mts

1.20 mts

Chamber 1

Brick Masonry (0.115 cm thick)

Partition of Brick

23

1 PVC Pipe for Drainage

Chamber to be covered with netting

0.10 0.10

23

0.10 0.10

1.5 mts

0.10 0.10

1.90 mts

Goa Foundation earthworm bins for

garbage disposal
The designs given above are of earthworm bins made of brick and wire
mesh which can easily manage the wet
household waste (including paper, but
excluding plastic) of a normal Goan
family residence.
These bins are in operation at a residential house in Assagao and within
the compound of the St. Brittos Cooperative Housing Society, opposite St.
Brittos High School in Dattawadi,
Mapusa.
The bins were constructed by a local mason using only local materials of
cheap brick, sand and mortar, and wire
mesh for protection against pests like
rats. The two bins also have a metal
sheet roof protection to protect the
earthworms from sun and rain.
The bins have been in operation
now for more than six months. The
waste is being safely handled by the
earthworms in both bins without causing any inconvenience to persons in
the immediate neighbourhood.
Persons including councillors from
Councils and panchas from Panchayats
can take inspection of these bins any
time, provided they give the Goa Foundation staff adequate time to accompany them and to explain the features
of the design.
The present design has a water channel all around the bin to prevent ants
from invading the bins and destroying the earthworms.
The Goa Foundation has a permanent programme for assisting
Panchayat and Council authorities for

setting up such earthworm bins for

processing of organic waste generated
within their areas. However, as the
designs given below indicate, they are
so simple to construct that any mason
in any village can raise them up in a
few days. The Foundation staff, however, are ready to be called to stand by
when the construction is being made
so that no mistakes occur. The Foundation will also make arrangements to
supply earthworms for the bins once
these are constructed.
Those Councils and Panchayats
wanting permanent supervision of
these bins for a period of six months
can sign a memorandum with the
Foundation for providing such services
at a nominal fee. If the earthworms die
for any reason, the Foundation can
easily have them replaced as well.
Once sufficient bins have been constructed, the Foundation in association
with the DSTE, will organise training
programmes for Panchayat and Council staff on how to manage such bins
with minimum effort and full success.

Keep the following details in mind

as well
Plan the location of the bins well in
advance. Place them at remote corners,
under trees, against walls, and as far as
possible, away from the residence itself.
For construction, use materials that
can be easily removed. Do not waste
costly cement in plastering and other
features. Use the cheapest burnt brick
in the market and construct in such a
way that if you wish to relocate the bin
some day, this can be easily done.

Prepare the bin as per the designs

laid out on these pages. These bins are
designed to keep out ants, rats, lizards,
flies and other predators who also love
to eat earthworms. If you need to have
our staff standing by while the bin is
being constructed, please call.
Please note that the actual height of
the bin from the floor to the top must
not be more than 2 and a half feet. At
this height, you can comfortably move
materials while remaining outside the
bins.
These bins are designed for autofunctioning. Once the earthworms are
introduced, you will have to do nothing more than adding garbage to the
unit every day.
The earthworms will survive even if
nothing is added for a few weeks, so
that you can easily go for a holiday
without worrying about them.
The base of the bin (plinth area)
should be well laid out, with RCC, so
that no ants can penetrate the base of
the bin and enter it from underneath.
This precaution must be specially resorted to in those areas which have
problems with ants already. In such
cases, it would even be useful to pack
at least 4 inches of base before raising
the brick walls of the bin itself.
Remember that once these bins are
constructed, they will solve your garbage problems for years to come. They
require practically no maintenance at
all. Earthworms will multiply. In case
they die for any reason, you can always introduce fresh worms. There are
adequate suppliers in Goa.
The base of the bins must have a
gradual slope since this can drain out

any water that is accumulating in the

bins.
Though these bins are designed for
household garbage, they can also take
in paper, cartons, sacks, leaves and
other waste from hedges, grass etc.
Earthworms will digest all such wastes
without any problem.
Remember that you must ensure that
the garbage pile is always damp, not
wet. Spraying it once in three days will
help maintain sufficient wetness. A wet
sack kept over the pile will ensure that
the humidity is maintained for a longer
period.
Do not start the unit without a proper
roof. Rainfall and sunshine are extremes as far as earthworms are concerned. The earthworms will die if the
garbage is soaking wet and if the pile
is also too dry and hot. Do a proper
job with such protection measures
since they will be a permanent solution to such problems.
Always ensure that the water channels around the bins, designed to keep
ants away, are emptied every six days
so that mosquitoes do not use them
for breeding purposes. If you have
ducks around, they will enjoy the water in the channel and also prevent
mosquito breeding. If you do not have
ducks, then introduce guppies in the
channels. In that case, you will never
need to empty the channels to get rid
of mosquito larvae.

The Goa Garbage Times

Earthworm bins for residences as well as commercial establishments

A few tips on
handling
earthworms
1. Earthworms dislike sunlight:
Therefore, the vermicomposting unit
should be placed in a shade and the
unit should be covered with moist
jute bags or palm fronds. The unit
should be covered from the top.
2. Earthworms dislike citrus fruits:
therefore, do separate the citrus fruits
from kitchen waste.

Vermicomposting unit with three chambers in a residential bungalow at Parra

The design given below is of a three
chamber earthworm bin which can be
installed in cooperative housing societies or an average restaurant.
As can be seen from the photo
above, the structure can be constructed
by bricks and netlon. The netlon is used
primarily to restrict flies and ants from
getting inside the bin. The bin can easily manage almost all wet household
or hotel wastes (including paper, but
excluding plastic).
These bins are in operation at a residential house in Parra. The unit worked
well for three months, after which it
was attacked by ants that came in from
below the ground.
The unit was then closed for repairs.
The main repairs involved putting in
an additional 4 inches of cement concrete to raise the plinth. Everything else
was kept the same. The unit has once
again gone on stream.
The bins were constructed by a local
mason using only local materials of
cheap brick, sand and mortar, and wire
mesh for protection against pests like
rats. The bin also has a metal sheet roof

protection to protect the earthworm

from sun and rain. The present design
has a water channel all around the bin
to prevent ants from invading the bins
from outside and destroying the earthworms. No mosquitoes breed in the
water channel since the owner also has
a couple of ducks which constantly disturb the water in the channel.
The tank is vertically divided into
three chambers by a wall containing
gaps to facilitate aeration as well as migration of earthworms from one chamber to another
The bins have been in operation
now for more than six months. The
waste is being safely handled by the
earthworms in all three bins without
causing any inconvenience to persons
in the family house.
The covers of the three chambers
or bins can be screwed off in case of
any emergency or if the compost has
to be removed from the chambers.
When garbage is to be thrown into it,
only half the cover needs to be raised.
Though the unit has been constructed for a bungalow, the capacity

is adequate for a building with upto

ten flats. The bins have been designed
in such a way that one can keep on
adding chambers if necessary to expand the capacity of the unit.
At present, all kinds of waste including kitchen wastes, left over food, cartons, paper, organic farm wastes,
leaves, grass, egg shells, and other
wastes are thrown into the bin.
The base of the bin has been filled
with sonnas, or waste coconut husks.
This retains moisture, and enables the
earthworms to find a refuge if they find
the heat has increased because the
owner has forgotten to spray the
chamber with water twice a week.
If this unit is used for a building with
several tenants or owners, it is best that
the cover is locked. In such a circumstances, the waste should be allowed
into the bin only once a day, at which
time the bins are unlocked. If the bins
are not locked, unscrupulous people
are bound to use the bins as a general
garbage dump, to get rid of even bulbs,
plastic and bottles. So it is best that they
are locked for most of the day.

3 Chamber Unit - (section)

3. Organisms like big black ants

as well as red ants, centipedes, frogs,
rats etc. relish earthworms. A homemade solution containing 100 gms
each of chilli powder and turmeric
powder along with a little salt and a
little soap powder dissolved in 20
litres of water can control most of
the pests in the vicinity of the
composting units. The solution
should be sprayed or poured all
around the unit on the soil. Neem oil
(0.5%) may also be used effectively.
It is good practice to plant a few lines
of turmeric plant all round the units.
Waste that could be used for
vermicomposting:
Agricultural Waste: stubble
waste, husk, straw and farmyard
manure. Stem, leaf matter, fruit rind,
pulp and stubble. Be careful when
handling an all-critic waste.
Animal waste: Dung, urine and
biogas slurry.
Urban solid waste: Kitchen waste
from households and restaurants,
waste from market yards, and sludge
from sewage treatment plants.
Agro industries: Food processing
units: peel, rind and unused pulp of
fruits and vegetables, fine bagasse,
pressmud and seed husk, stems,
leaves and flowers after extraction
of oil.

Netting for the Chamber

Voids
1 Pipes (PVC) for Aeration

Roughage
1 PVC Pipe for Drainage
Bed of Cement
Brick

The Goa Garbage Times

Earthworm bins for Village Panchayats, Institutions, Factories and Hotels

For composting units in the larger
commercial establishments, including
hotels, resorts, restaurants, factories
and institutions, the design given below is advisable.
These four chamber earthworm bins
can be installed on waste land. The size
of the vermicomposting units can vary
according to specific needs, but the
height should not exceed two and half
feet to enable staff manning the units
to easily remove or add the garbage
into the units. The structure shown
below can be constructed by bricks and
netlon. The netlon is used primarily to
restrict flies and ants from getting inside the bins. The bins can easily manage wet household or hotel wastes (including paper, but excluding plastic).
The four chamber unit is designed
to allow earthworms to move from
one chamber to the other in a circle,
returning to the first chamber when
they have completed digesting the
waste in the others.
A tank of 2.5ft x 2ft x 2.5ft (lxbxh) is
first constructed, preferably in the
shade of tree. To protect it from excess
heat and rain, a roof has to be erected
to protect the bins. The tank is divided
into four equal parts with brick walls
that have vents to facilitate aeration as
well as migration of earthworms from
one chamber to another. The unit is
designed specifically for easy use in
panchayat areas.
For commercial establishments like
factories or hotels, even partially decomposed matter or decayed or decomposed organic waste may be fed
to the worms. For this all the available
waste can be cut or shredded into
pieces of small size manually with the
help of a chopper or by using an electrically operated shredding machine
which cuts the waste into uniform size
at a rapid pace. The waste thus cut has
more surface area exposed for rapid
decomposition. Such waste is initially
dumped into a pit along with cowdung

Vermicomposting unit with four chambers at PFA animal shelter, St Inez, Panaji.
and allowed to partially decompose
and later fed to the worms in the
vermibeds.
The mixture should be spread on
the bed. It is advisable for the beginner to spread small amounts of refuse
only twice a week and then gradually
add the mixture everyday. Watering is
continued according to the requirement and the unit is still covered with
wet jutebags to keep away flies and
insects. After a few applications of the
refuse, only the refuse should be
turned over with a pitchfork taking
care not to disturb the worms in the
pits.
The addition of the cowdung in the
refuse will add to the pace of

vermicomposting and then even the

quality of the compost will be good.
The bins can be constructed by a local mason using only local materials of
cheap brick, sand and mortar, and
Netlon for protection against pests.
The present design has a water channel all around the bin to prevent ants
from invading the bins and destroying the earthworms.
However, as the design given below indicates, it is so simple to construct
that any mason in any village can raise
it up in a few days. The Foundation
will also make arrangements for earthworms for the bins once these are constructed.

Plan of 4 Chamber Unit (as seen from top)

A four chamber vermicompsot bin,

similar to the three chamber bin on
facing page, has been installed at the
Panjim Municipal Council animal shelter at St Inez. The unit has been working successfully.
The raw material fed to the earthworms at the shelter comprises waste
newspaper coated with dog excreta
and urine. (The shelter uses newspaper to line the bottoms of the cages in
which the dogs are kept while they are
undergoing sterilisation).
Apparently, the earthworms are so
fond of this diet, that they have thrived
and multiplied. The Goa Foundation
intends to use the excess earthworms
for other installations.

Costs of constructing
earthworm bins
PCC Bed
Water Channel

Chamber 1

Chamber 2

Brick Masonry
(0.115 cm
thick)

Chamber to be
covered with
netting
Partition
of Brick

1 PVC
Pipe for
Drainage

Chamber 3

Chamber 4

What do these earthworm bins

made from brick cost?
Given below is an approximate
cost of erecting the two chamber
bin whose picture is given on the
front page (and design is provided on page 3).
Number of bricks
(cheapest variety):
300 x 1.5

Rs.450

Cement Bags: 2 x 150

Rs.300

Sand: one cartload

Rs.200

Mason (2 days)

Rs.400

Metal work (including

iron frame, 1x1 iron
netting for bin covers;
roofing material with
GI pipe support and
3 patras of 4 feet each
(costs include
transport and fitting) Rs.1750
Total

Rs.3100

The Goa Garbage Times

Eisenia Fetida (Red wrigglers)

Eudrillus engenia (African variety)

These are the two types of earthworms that are generally used to deal with
garbage. The earthworm on the left is called Eisenia fetida. These are thin in shape
and small and do not move around too much. They remain mostly on the
surface and multiply quite fast.
The earthworm on the right is the Eudrillus eugenia. These tend to move
around a lot. They are also larger and thicker and good waste processors. They

move up and down the pile, but are also found generally on the surface. During
the monsoons, they will migrate quite a bit.
These worms are known to process any waste, including household kitchen
waste, garden cuttings, leaves, paper, cartons, sacks etc. The only material they
cannot eat is plastic. Ensure that plastic is never introduced into the garbage
bins.

Vermicomposting:
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. If the system emits foul odour, what is the reason?
A. A properly maintained compost system should not emit foul smell.
Smell will be produced for various reasons: the bin has inadequate ventilation holes; it is overloaded and the system is unable to compost the total
amount of kitchen waste; the worms have died and the composting process has stopped.
Q. Will the bin attract flies?
A. If the bin is covered and the area around it kept clean, it will not
attract flies.
Q. How fast do these worms reproduce?
A. Very fast! Eight worms can produce 1,500 offspring in six months.
Q. If the worms reproduce at such a fast rate, wont they overpopulate
the bin?
A. The availability of food, space restrictions and fouling of the environment keeps the number of worms in check.
Q. Do I have to stay at home to take care of my worms or can I leave
them for a period of time?
A. You can leave your worm bin unattended for a couple of weeks
without causing them any major harm as long as the bedding is not allowed to dry. Avoid adding any fresh food material and cover the bedding
surface with moist newspaper or gunny bags so as to keep the bedding
material from drying out. You may also leave mud pots containing water
covered with lids, half buried into the pits. Even if the surrounding material dries up, the earthworm may move and stay beneath these moist pots.
Q. Do the worms bite? Will they crawl out of the bin?
A. No, the worms will not bite you. If you create an ideal environment
with proper bedding, ventilation, temperature, moisture and food, the
worms will not leave the bin.
Q. What will the finished compost look like?
A. Finished wormy compost should be granular and earthy smelling.
Q. My worms have not eaten any of the waste even though I started
my vermicomposting units weeks ago?
A. When first starting a worm unit, the worms need time to get used to
their new surroundings. Usually, they start eating the original bedding
material first and then move up to the new food source. Add just enough
waste initially till you see worms moving around in it. Then add more
waste.
Q. My worm bin has become smelly and the worms have not eaten all
the food. What have I done wrong and how can I fix it?
A. This is a sign that you have overfed your worms and they cannot
keep up with the amount of food that is being added into the worm bins.
To fix this, stop feeding them and remove any of the uneaten food. Then
gently turn over the bedding material with a garden fork so as to aerate it.
If acidic, add a handful of lime to help correct the pH levels. Then start
feeding the worms again, only small amounts at first so that you can get
an idea of how much they can consume so as not to overfeed them again.

Expert persons who can assist with earthworm units

and earthworm supplies in Goa:
Krishna Porob:
Available on phone for advice on construction of earthworm bins for
private residences, cooperative housing societies, factories, schools,
institutions etc. Contact him through the Goa Foundation office at
263305; 256479.
Porob can supply earthworms for new bins. He will visit the new
unit till he finds the unit has stabilised and can run on its own. He
will also work out maintenance arrangements which include
replacement of earthworms when necessary and transport.
Lulus Farm:
Can supply earthworms for those who have constructed bins.
Patil Vermi Farm, Shiva, Behind Prasad Lodge, Gadag 582 101,
Phone: 08372- 37536 .
Can supply any number of earthworms even for large municipal
councils or Panchayats. Rate is Rs.400 (including transport) for
1000 earthworms (mixed).
ICAR:
Supply of earthworms for composting agricultural wastes.

The Goa Garbage Times

Earthworm Experts in Goa

Ambrose Vaz from Saligao

The vermicomposting bin maintained by Ambroze Vaz

Mr. Ambrose Vaz, working with the
State Bank at Mapusa, has been practising vermicomposting for the past
seven years in Saligao as a private
hobby. Initially he had started by using the earthworm species Eisenia fetida.
Recently, he also started using earthworms of the species Eudrillus eugenia.
These are the two commonly used
earthworms for speedy processing of
garbage. Ambrose has around seven
thousand worms now in his pits. He
had built a tank in the ground to accommodate his Eudrillus eugenia species of earthworms, but, due to improper planning of the drainage system, the tank got flooded. In addition,
frogs invaded the tanks and ate the
worms. Due to these problems, during the rains, he lost most of the
Eudrillus worms. Fortunately, he managed to save some cocoons and slowly
rebuilt a population of this species. Although Ambrose is having quite a number of the Eisenia fetida species, he was
still not willing to sell them.
Ambrose has self-designed all his
units.
The
most
successful
vermicompost unit shape was of a large
wine glass where the base retains quite

a bit of water so that there is no fear of

it suddenly drying up. The design effectively prevents invasion by ants.
Ambrose has 3 such tub-shaped units,
each one about 90cm x 60cm and 2ft
deep and two tanks each about 2 x 3
and 2 ft deep. With this design he
has also managed to tackle the problem concerning rats.
Cockroaches, however, seem to still
cause a problem. Now he has transferred all the worms into three tubs
and two tanks, where utmost care is
taken to see that ants and cockroaches
do not enter the pits. The garbage is
placed on the surface of the waste, and
over this, a sack is placed. The manure
below the garbage showed a texture
like that of fine tea powder.
According to Ambrose, to start a
small vermicomposting unit, a population of about 200 earthworms is required. Though there are practical
problems, the use of earthworms for
processing domestic garbage is beneficial and relatively easy. Amrose is
not only a ready learner, he is also willing to teach.

Patil Vermi Farms (Gadag)

Garbage is Gold, say R.S.Patil, a
farmer from Gadag, near Hubli
(Karnataka), one of the pioneers of
vermicomposting on a fairly large
scale. Patil composts all his agricultural
wastes using earthworms, the same
species that also enjoy domestic garbage.
Patils Vermi Farms has a ready
stock of earthworms, vermiwash and
prefabricated ready-to-use units for
those interested in starting
vermicomposting units. All the above,
as well as compost, can be purchased
from him at affordable prices. But more
important than all this, Patil is ever eager to share his knowledge with others, assist in the design of
vermicomposting units suitable to individual needs and to help out when
there are problems.
The Goa Foundation recently invited Mr. Patil in Goa to demonstrate
vermicomposting techniques at a

workshop organised by the Dept. of

Science, Technology and Environment
for municipal and panchayat officials
on the subject of garbage management.
Patil supplies compost and earthworms.
He has two types of earthworms
which he can supply at moments notice in any quantity, especially to Councils and Panchayats:
Eudrillus Eugenia (African variety)
Eisenia Fetida (Red wrigglers)
Approximately 1000 young earthworms are prepared for shipment with
proper food to last two weeks. Rs.300
per box from the farm, Rs.400 (inclusive of transport).
Address: Patil Vermi Farm, Shiva,
Behind Prasad Lodge, Gadag 582 101,
Phone: 08372- 37536

Lulus Vermiculture Farm at Anjuna

At Lulus farm at Anjuna, you can an
interesting example of backyard earthworm farming run by Mr.Vincent
DSouza who is also quite a good
source of information on earthworms.
The ancestral house of Mr DSouza
is at one end of the property and the
organic farm which is behind it has
been in existence for over 50 years. Mr.
DSouza feels proud that his farm was
once the main supplier of vegetables
to the Mapusa market. Later when
vegetables from Belgaum flooded the
market, his focus shifted to animal husbandry. But this too was soon abandoned and today the mainstay of the
farm is aelovera and orchid plantation
and other ornamental plants. Hopefully earthworms will someday rule to
roost here too.
Mr. Souza says he is particular about
who he sells the earthworms to. Quite
disarmingly he states that they are his
pets and they will be sold only to those
who promise to take good care of
them. Purchasers must also be willing
to take the trouble to learn how to
maintain earthworms i.e., they must
have knowledge of the earthworms
likes and dislikes. Quite a tall order indeed.
Lulus Farms sells compost @Rs. 10/
- per kg and a thriving colony of about
several hundred earthworms placed in
a mud vase costs Rs. 200/-. Mr. Vincent
Souza prepares this colony by putting
farm waste in the vase and introducing a few earthworms into it. The vase
is watered and kept covered with wet
sacking material or a plastic sheet. The
holes in the vase serve to drain the ex-

cess water. When the waste matter

starts changing into compost it is a sign
that the earthworms have started multiplying and after a short while the vase
is ready for sale or the earthworms can
be shifted to the composting pit.
Mr. Souza recommended the following procedures to be followed while
setting up a farm vermicompost pit:
1. Prepare a shed with walls and cemented floor.
2. Spread some mud two inches
thick and 2.5mts. in length and 1mt in
breadth on the cemented floor. Over
this spread upto three feet of shredded
farm waste which has partly
composted. Finally add a thin layer of
fresh cowdung and water it. Cover this
with damp sacks to retain moisture.
3. To introduce earthworms, make
some space at the top of the heap by
digging aside the waste, overturn the
contents of the vase into the hole and
let it settle on its own. Remove the vase
after three or four days, cover the hole
with waste and then with a wet sack.
The key to the whole operation is
not to disturb the earthworms as far as
possible as they dont like it.
One of the vases with its earthworms is placed in the drawing room
of the ancestral house of Mr. Souza,
and are regularly fed banana skins. The
vase has a colony of worms and shades
of grey and black with fungus and lazy
baby earthworms gently moving
around. There are also thousands of
other small creatures, some tiny black
like ants with a white spot on the top
constantly on a move.

ICAR vermiproject: composting for

improvement of coconut production
The Agriculture Department sponsors
a composting scheme for improvement of coconut produce. The scheme
is called Integrated Farming in Coconut Holdings for Productivity Improvement: Organic Manure Units.
This is a Central Government scheme
prepared by the Coconut Development Board, Cochin.
Purpose of the scheme The scheme
is meant to encourage farmers to use
waste from the farm for composting
and to use the compost as organic
fertiliser instead of using chemical
fertiliser. It is widely accepted that application of organic manure improves
the quality and taste of coconut produce.
Details of schemeThe scheme envisages construction of composting
units by the farmer, after receiving approval from the ZAO, cost of which is
reimbursed by the Department.
Recommended specifications for
vermicompost are as follows:
For large capacity production viz.
production of 10 metric tonnes
vermicompost per cycle, the tank or
pit should be 15m x 1.5m x 0.7m. A
bamboo shed with a size of 15m x 15m
x 1.5m has to be constructed over the
pit. In a year there can be 4 cycles producing 40 mt of compost.
The farmer first makes an applica-

tion to the Zonal Agriculture Officer.

The ZAO then inspects the farm and
approves the application of the scheme
for the coconut plantation.
Thereafter the farmer constructs the
pit or tanks for holding the material
for composting and an overhead shed
which is required in order to keep the
area shady so that the material for
composting remains moist at all times.
After the farmer has completed the
constructions and commenced
composting, he submits a form with
copies of the bills attached for payment. The ZAO makes a second inspection at which time half the cost of construction or Rs.20,000/- whichever is
less is paid to the farmer.
The farmer can not only use the rich
compost for his own farm but also sell
it. The packaging and storage costs can
also be included in the bills submitted
for reimbursement.
This scheme is available to those
having coconut plantations only. However, it is possible for village communities or housing colonies in the vicinity of coconut plantations which are
having such scheme to send their biodegradable garbage to such plantations
for composting.
In such cases necessary adaptations
may have to be made to accommodate kitchen waste.

The Goa Garbage Times

Panaji Municipal Council: Vermicomposting at Curca

Vermicomposting units at the Curca garbage dumpsite of PMC.

The wastes collected by the Panaji
Municipal Council are deposited at
Curca, the official dumpsite. Part of the
organic waste is being taken care of
by a fairly extensive vermicomposting
unit which was started six months back.
Approximately one-third of the total
waste composted in this dumpsite is
now available as rich manure produced by the friendly earth worm.
There are 14 vermibeds out of
which only 2 were being utilized initially. At present, 10 are fully functional.
According to the person in charge of
the unit, the earthworms used are African Red Worms (Eudrillus eugenia),

and the 2 important factors to be kept

in mind are water and oxygen.
Composting here in Curca is carried
out in vermibeds of 7/8m x 1m x 1m
dimensions.
All 14 beds in the Curca Dumpsite
are located side by side. A roof-shelter
is provided at the dumpsite, and it is
designed to prevent rain water from
flooding the beds and also excess heat
from killing the worms. Cemented
walls surround each pit. A drainage
hole is present at one end of the bed.
This serves to get rid of any excess
water.
The organic waste is allowed to de-

Vermicomposting by Taj Hotels at Fort Aguada

compose in one of the pits for a period

of 2 weeks, without any earthworms
inside the pits. Plastics and other nonbiodegradable matter are removed at
this stage. Hard matter like shells, etc.
are also taken out by running the
waste through a wire mesh. The halfdecomposed, mud-like organic matter
is then introduced into another pit containing earthworms. Approximately 5
kg of garbage is added to 1 kg of earthworms.
The garbage added is not allowed
to exceed 8 inches in height. It is also
necessary to churn the matter, at least
twice a week, to enhance decomposition efficiency. Jute sacks soaked in
water are placed on top of this decomposing heap to prevent the temperature from building up, escape of moisture and any attacks or disturbances.
It takes, on an average, 6 7 weeks
for the entire decomposition process
to be complete, with the aid of earthworms, after which the earthworms
are always finally removed from the
compost.
This can be done either by manual
removal or by drying the waste and
then adding wet cowdung on top of
the compost at different spots, where
the earthworms will aggregate and can
then be removed.
The compost generated from the
Curca dumpsite of Panaji Municipal
council is sold at a rate of Rs.3 per kg.
Though the waste can generate money

for the Council, it is struggling to find

a buyer. The authorities in fact are purchasing compost from places as far
away as Miraj. This has been made
possible by manipulating the standards
for defining acceptable compost, making it possible for only outside suppliers to bid for tenders for supply.
Approximately 25 30 truckloads
of waste including non-biodegradable
garbage is dumped at the Curca site
per day. To the woes of the Council are
now added the wastes of Mapusa town
(10-12 trucks per day) which have been
allowed here by the State Government
after it closed the open Mapusa garbage dumpsite.
The vermicomposting units have to
be rapidly expanded to accommodate
all this waste.
Spearheading the scheme to process
the garbage using earthworms is J
Colaco of the Council who is now quite
experienced in the use of earthworms.
Colaco arranged through the Goa
Foundation for supply of 25,000 earthworms from Gadag earthworm supplier R S. Patil. It is to Colacos credit
that not only have these earthworms
survived after some initial setbacks, but
they are doing their job well and multiplying as well. Other Councils should
visit Curca and see how they can duplicate the work in their areas.

Vermicomposting at People for Animal (PFA)

shelter at St. Inez, Panaji.
The animal shelter at St. Inez houses
over a hundred stray dogs and other
animals brought there by the municipal authorities and the dog squad for
sterilization. The shelter, which is
owned by the Panaji Municipal Council (PMC), is managed by the People
for Animals (PFA). The person in
charge of the shelter is Ms Angela Kazi.
The Goa Foundation installed four
vermibeds at the shelter in November
2001. The waste fed to the earthworms
includes the excreta from the dog cages
and the newspapers used to clean the
waste, as well as cowdung and other
organic wastes including body parts
from the sterilisation operations.
The four vermicomposting units are
of size each measuring 4mt x 0.75mt x

2ft . The vermibeds are fully protected

with a wire mesh to prevent access to
rats and other pests that may disturb
or destroy the worms. There is also a
roof raised to protect the worms and
the beds from the impact of rain and
direct sun. A total of around 6000
worms were used initially to charge
the bins and initiate the process.
The bin are visited regularly by
Krishna Porob from the Goa Foundation who finds that the worms are
flourishing from the waste generated
by the shelter. In fact, worms generated from the shelter bins have multiplied, enabling the Foundation to draw
on the surplus worms for use in new
bins set up in other areas.

Vermicomposting units of the Taj at Sinquerim

The Taj Hotel group at Fort Aguada
installed a vermicomposting project 34 years ago. It is one of the very few
hotels in the area that has attempted to
compost its wastes in this manner. The
unit however is still facing problems.
The wet garbage from the hotel is
brought daily to the unit which is just
behind the hotel premises. There are
two vermicomposting units of 11 mt x
1 mt x 2 each.
The project is looked after by microbiologist Ms. Dorothy as well as Mr.
Madilkar from the hotels horticulture
department.
The staff manning the vermicomposting units told Goa Foundation
supervisor Krishna Porob that the organic waste is first allowed to decompose for a period of two weeks, in one

of the sheds specially erected for the

purpose.
The earthworms are not introduced
at this stage. Plastics and other nonbiodegradable matter are removed
from the waste. Hard matter like shells,
etc. are also taken out by scrutinizing
the waste manually. Only after this pretreatment is the half-decomposed,
mud-like organic matter introduced
into the trenches constructed for the
purpose and the earthworms introduced.
Although being managed by professional staff, we found ants inside the
composting units. This may be because
there was no water in the water channels constructed around the bins. Ants
are a known predator of earthworms
as they relish earthworm cocoons and
dine on hapless young juveniles.

From a cursory examination of the

work being done at the unit, it appears
that not much serious attention is being devoted to its daily operations,
though as stated earlier, the workers
at the site appeared to be knowledgeable about earthworms.
The construction of the trenches
also leaves quite a lot to be desired.
They appear to have been raised by
masons who forget to bring their
plumb lines with them. The water channels were constructed later, but we
were surprised to find no water in them
either. However, there were earthworms in the trenches and the garbage
was sufficiently damp.
As the workers get accustomed to
the processes at work, success should
follow. Other hotels can learn from the
experience of the Taj group.

The Goa Garbage Times

The Goa Garbage Times is part of a
project on successful implementation of garbage regulations,
supported by the Department of
Science, Technology and Environment, Government of Goa. Views
expressed in this paper, which is
printed for circulation among
NGOs, government officials,
councillors, panchayat members
and interested members of the
public, do not reflect the views of
DSTE, but of the Goa Foundation.
Contact the Foundation for details
on how to construct earthworm
bins and for assistance in monitoring at: Phones: 256479; 263305 or
email: oib@goatelecom.com