Step by Step – Where to begin

Sustainable development has to be sustainable itself. Failing to do this is not just ironic but would eventually lead to the end of the program. To do this, sustainable development shall start with something that requires little or not extra effort and that gives quick and useful benefits. The best way I can think to do this is through an appropriate solid waste management.

Solid waste implies an effort in any community. Even one single house has to take the trash outside. Separating organic and non-organic waste requires minimal extra effort. Some inmediate benefits come with organic waste separation: first non-organic trash will no longer smell as bad and the health risk of this kind of trash will greatly reduced. Recycling this trash is much more easy now if this is the path you want to follow.

However recycling would usually require more effort. Organic waste on the other side can be turned into a productive and valuable fairly easy using vermicompost. Vermicompost means using earthworms to degrade organic waste into highly nutrient soil (humus). The good thing about this is that most of the work is done by the earthworms. The only thing required is to bury the organic trash and put some earthworms there. Burying the trash is important because earthworms can't “eat” the waste in open air which causes the organic trash decomposes instead of being degraded. The difference is that when it decomposes, organic waste smells bad and attracts insects. This doesn´t happen when organic waste is degraded. That´s why is very important that the organic waste is completely covered by soil.

Earthworms will reproduce and convert organic waste into nutrient soil. This soil can be sold, or used to plant or as fertilizer.

Separating waste is easy as you only need to throw to a different trash can the stuff you want to separate. Vermicomposting needs very little care, although a little extra effort has to be done to properly bury the organic waste. The result of this is reducing the trash you generate (environmental benefit), getting very nutrient soil (economic benefit) and reducing the smell and health risk of your trash (social benefit).

What do you think?