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How to Manage Waste Properly

Here are ways on how to manage and control your waste.

Here are the following strategies that can be done to manage waste properly:

a. Install recycling bins in and around your premises. There are materials that can be
used as media or containers in the nursery. Place them in a bin immediately then sort
them into recyclables. You can reduce the volume of waste going to landfill and you
may be able to ‗on-sell‘ your waste.
b. Use recyclable and reusable plant trays. Reusable and returnable plant boxes, pots
and trays can reduce the waste generated significantly.
c. Reuse and recycle other nursery products. For example, reuse potting mix in top soil
production, use pruning material for compost and mulch.
d. Install water efficient monitoring and management systems. Read how to save
water in the reducing water use section.
e. Order in bulk where possible. Purchasing in bulk minimizes packaging. If necessary,
consider installing larger storage facilities so that you can order raw materials in bulk
and store them for later use. Bulk purchasing is usually cheaper and you will also be
reducing the environmental impacts of frequent deliveries to your premises.2
f. Minimize production waste. Look at your production processes and see what can be
altered to minimize waste. If you have a café, consider the size of the meals and if
food is leftover consider downsizing the portion a little.
g. Think about waste produced by your customers. With takeaway coffee, consider
refillable mugs, which customers can come back and get refilled at a discount, rather
than
throwaway cups. If the throwaway cups are used choose cups made from recycled
materials and/or are certified as sustainable.
h. Establish a composting system. If you are preparing food at your nursery, you
might like to consider a simple composting system.
Even a city business can compost nowadays, using a counter-top composter like a
bokashi bucket. If you have outdoor space, you could establish a worm farm or
compost heap. Paper can be composted, along with fruit and vegetable scraps.
i. Introduce a no or low plastics policy. Ask members to bring their own water bottles
of clean cups or use recycled alternatives.
j. Use recycled materials for fixtures where possible. Recycled building materials
can also reduce the construction costs.
k. Act as a recycling center for other recyclables. Work with council to be a recycling
center and promote this service to customers.
l. Implement inventory control procedures to avoid over-ordering. Custom made
computer programs can be set up specifically to track your business needs, if
necessary.
m. Eliminate materials that cannot be recycled from the production process or the
services you provide. Convert to recyclable materials to reduce your waste volume
and seek out businesses that will take your waste for recycling.

Steps in Preparing Compost

1. Select a site near your supply of materials. It should at least be 150 feet away from the house. A well-drained area with adequate water is ideal.

2. Gather and prepare compost materials. Farm wastes in the form of animal manure, grass trimmings, crop residue, rice straw, kitchen refuse, and decayed leaves can also be used as compost materials.

3. Pile up the materials. a.) Pile up layers of chopped grasses, straw and kitchen leftovers about 12-15 inches on thick covering of the compost bin. b.) Pile the second layer of animal manure about 5-8 cm. thick over the first layer. c.) Spread a layer of loam soil mixed with lime or wood ash at least 4-5 cm. thick over the manure layer. d.) repeat steps a-c or until the pile has reached the height of 1 ½ meters. Sprinkle the compost pile with water to make it moist.

4. Provide breathers. This is to hasten decomposition. Place two or more perforated bamboo poles on the side and in the middle of the compost pile.

5. Provide moisture. Add water evenly to the top of the pile for a day or two to keep it moist. This will make the materials rot fast, but too much water also is unadvisable.

6. Cover the compost pile. Cover the top of the pile with either plastic material or galvanized iron. This is to protect the pile from wash out in case of heavy rain.

7. Take care of the compost pile. After a month of preparation, the compost pile can be turned over to hasten decomposition. This compost could be used as fertilizer three months after preparation. It can be mixed with soil in every hill during planting.

Other Composting approaches

In addition to the traditional compost pile, there are various approaches that have been developed to handle different processes, ingredients, locations, and applications for the compost product.

1. Bokashi- is a method that uses a mix of microorganisms to cover food waste to decrease smell. It was derived from the practice of Japanese farmers

centuries ago of covering food waste with rich, local soil that contained the microorganisms that would ferment the waste.

After a few weeks, they would bury the waste that weeks later, would become soil.

Most practitioners obtain the microorganisms from the product Effective Microorganisms (EM1), first sold in the 1980s. EM1 is mixed with a carbon base (e.g. sawdust or bran) that it sticks to and sugar for food (e.g. molasses). The mixture is layered with waste in a sealed container and after a few weeks, removed and buried. EM is primarily composed of lactic acid bacteria, yeast and phototrophic (PNSB) bacteria.

Newspaper fermented in a lactobacillus culture can be substituted for bokashi bran for a successful bokashi bucket.

2. Compost tea-is a liquid extract of compost that contains plant growth compounds and beneficial organisms. Liquid extracts have been used for hundred of years in agriculture to promote plant and soil health.

3. Humanure" is a human excrement (feces and urine) that is recycled via composting for agricultural or other purposes. The term was first used in a 1994 book by Joseph Jenkins^,that advocates the use of this organic soil amendment.

Humanure is not sewage that has been processed by waste-treatment facilities, which may include waste from industrial and other sources; rather, it is the combination of feces and urine with paper and additional carbon material (such as sawdust). A humanure system, such as a compost toilet, does not require water or electricity, and when properly managed does not smell. A compost toilet collects human excrement which is then added to a hot compost heap together with sawdust and straw or other carbon rich materials, where pathogens are destroyed.

4. Vermicomposting is the product of composting utilizing various species of worms, usually red wigglers, white worms, and earthworms to create a heterogeneous mixture of decomposing vegetable or food waste (excluding meat, dairy, fats, or oils), bedding materials, and vermicast.

Vermicast, also known as worm castings, worm humus or worm manure, is the endproduct of the breakdown of organic matter by species of earthworm. Vermicomposting has gained popularity in both industrial and domestic settings because, as compared to conventional composting, it provides a way to compost organic materials more quickly (as defined by a higher rate of carbon- to-nitrogen ratio increase) and to attain products that have lower salinity levels that are therefore more beneficial to plant mediums. Available worm species in the country today is the African nightcrawlers.

There are other species that can be used such as the red wigglers (Eisenia fetida or Eisenia andrei), though European nightcrawlers (Eisenia hortensis or Dendrobaena veneta) could also be used. Red wigglers are recommended by most vermiculture experts, as they have some of the best appetites and breed very quickly. Users refer to European nightcrawlers by a variety of other names, including dendrobaenas, dendras, Dutch Nightcrawlers, and Belgian night crawlers.

ROUTINE MAINTENANCE OF WORKPLACE

It is important that plant nursery should be managed properly. If not, effort and money will turn into nothing but wastage of investment. A properly and organized plant nursery can become a source of income. Customers, clients who need planting materials, ornamental plants, seeds are looking for reliable source. How can you become a known supplier if plant nursery is in disarray and not properly maintained.

The following are preventive maintenance techniques SPR uses to ensure the quality of its nursery grown plants.

• Plants will be pruned as needed to ensure good health and structure.

• Routinely groom crops. Remove debris from ground cloth to reduce theslips and falls.

• All plants shall be spaced to allow for optimal growth and good air circulation to prevent diseases.

• Containerized plants will be re-potted as needed to prevent encircling roots and to allow them to grow into their desired natural form without girdling.

• All plants will be watered as needed. The primary method of irrigation is the existing overhead system. This system works well for field growing areas but is modified as needed for watering containerized plants.

• Fertilize plants as needed with a fertilizer appropriate to the crop. Use a slow release product whenever possible.

• Plants requiring shade conditions will be held in the shade houses or provided a shade cover.

• City water used for plant irrigation purposes will be used efficiently.

• Plants should be grouped by size and water needs.

• Watering will be done on an as-needed basis.

The most efficient system for watering individual planted areas will be used. Where plants are dissimilar in size or species differ, hand watering will be required.

Avoid watering nursery areas that aren‘t currently holding plants.

• The nursery will support recycling operations. Compost will be used whenever possible. Growing containers will be reused (following cleaning). Plant debris will be sent to―cleangreen.

• Plant holding areas will be used for plants that are in transition. While in holding, plants shall be mulched, staked as needed, watered, and provided with shade protection if required.

• Protection shall be provided for plants as needed especially during rainy days and when the environment is too hot. Smaller and more tender plants will have priority during these period.

• Routinely evaluate all gravel surfaces where crops are staged for the presence of potholes and standing water.