The country can increase crop production as well as reduce the use of chemical fertilisers by managing organic wastes in a scientific manner, said the co-founder of a company that produces compost from wastes.
“The move can also yield some other benefits such as lessening health hazards, creating jobs, and reducing emission of methane and carbon dioxide,” said Iftekhar Enayetullah, co-founder of Waste Concern, during the “Waste and Climate Change” session at the ongoing Gobeshona conference in the capital yesterday.
“The use of compost made from organic wastes can increase crop production by 25-30% and at the same time reduce the use of chemical fertilisers by 35-40%,” he said.
Iftekhar said compost derived from organic wastes could enhance soil quality. “This is crucial for the country’s arable lands as nutrient content of the soil in many parts of the country is decreasing because of excessive farming to meet the growing demand for food.
“Only 17% of the arable lands contain the adequate (3.5%) amount of organic matter,” he added.
AH Md Maqsood Sinha, the other founder of Waste Concern, said increasing the use of organic fertilisers in land would lead to a reduction in that of chemical fertilisers. This will also reduce the government’s subsidy for chemical fertilisers, he said.
“The current waste management practice which includes dumping and filling up lands has been causing many problems including the spread of diseases, producing methane, and polluting ground as well as surface water. It is estimated that 5.2 million tonnes of solid wastes are generated daily around the world, of which 3.8 million tonnes are produced in developing countries. In Bangladesh, 70% of the total wastes are considered organic,” said Maqsood.
He said the opportunity to use wastes for producing compost was growing gradually because of the rising population as more population meant more wastes.
“In 1991, the country’s urban population would produce 6,493 tonnes of organic wastes a day but in 2014, the figure soared to 23,688 tonnes a day. Given the current trend of urbanisation, the total amount of organic wastes will stand at 47,000 tonnes a day in 2015.
“In addition, managing the organic wastes scientifically can also ensure benefits of selling Certified Emission Reduction (a type of emission unit issued by the Clean Development Mechanism),” said Maqsood.
According to Waste Concern, each tonne of organic waste, if treated in a scientific manner, can reduce 0.5 tonnes of carbon dioxide emission.
