Return Your EcoNest Ph Packaging Back to Nature Using the Takakura Composting Method
Let’s talk about DIY and how you can try the Takakura Composting Method at your own home 😊
With the Takakura Composting Method, organic waste is broken down by microorganisms that are cultivated from local materials. This method involves making a seed compost from fermented solutions and fermenting bed. Organic waste is mixed with the seed compost and left to degrade in a ventilated container or basket. Use this guide to get started in 5 easy steps.
1. Make a Fermenting Solution
Making the Sugar Fermenting Solution:
- 3 litres water, 200g jaggery (gula merah), one piece cubed tempe
- Mix everything in an airtight container and leave for three to five days
- Some fermentative microorganisms can be found on the surface of fruits and vegetables. Here, we will show you how to produce fermenting liquid with vegetables, fruits, and salt water
- 3 litres water, 1 heaped tablespoon salt, mixture of vegetable scraps and fruit peel
- Once everything has been placed in the container it should be closed
2. Make the Seed Compost
- Mix equal amounts of rice bran, rice husk, fallen leaves, wheat bran, leaf mold, hay to form a fermenting bed. Stir in sugar and salt fermenting solutions bit by bit, adjusting the moisture level to 40% to 60%
- The moisture content is right if the mixture forms a lump without oozing out water when squeezed in the hand
- Store mixture in a covered carton box (can be made from jute bags, newspaper, or fabric) for three to five days. The box should feel warm. When the content is covered with white mould, the fermentation is complete. Let the mixture dry out. The seed compost is ready for use.
3. Prepare a Compost Container
- A container of 60-liter capacity is suitable (or you could use your utilized EcoNest Sugarcane Containers). It should have holes at the sides to allow air ventilation. Suitable containers: EcoNest Sugarcane Containers, storage boxes; or wicker laundry baskets
- Line the inside of the container with thick paper carton or carpet to prevent spillage of compost and insect infestations
- Fill the container to 60% capacity with seed compost. Leftover seed compost can be kept for future use
4. Composting with EcoNest Packaging and Organic Scraps
- Adding organic waste: Cut up your kitchen scraps and your EcoNest Packaging scraps. The smaller the waste is chopped, the quicker it will ferment. Drain excess liquid from chopped waste, and then stir into container of seed compost.
Note: Maintain the moisture content of the seed compost at 40%-60%. High moisture content will inhibit fermentation, resulting in offensive odors. If the mixture is too wet (this can happen with large amounts of vegetable scraps), add orange, onion or garlic peel or bits of paper.
- Cover the container with cloth to keep the mixture warm and protected from insects. Stir the mixture once a day to intensify fermentation and inhibit the growth of putrefying microorganisms. The chopped waste should lose its shape in 1-2 days. Repeat the process until the container is full.
Note: If steam rises while the content is being stirred, it indicates that the fermentation is progressing well, with the temperature reaching 40°C to 50°C. Fermentation slows down if the temperature is low. To raise the temperature: place the container inside a cardboard box or polystyrene container with holes; or put a plastic bottle of hot water in the container.
- When the container is full, transfer the content into a cardboard box or sack, leaving behind an ample amount as seed compost for your next round of composting. Store the removed compost for two weeks to allow it to mature.
Note: Using semi-mature compost (which has not fully decomposed) can damage plant roots because the fermentative microorganisms are still active and will emit gas and organic acids.
5. Using the Compost
Compost gradually releases nutrients into the soil, thereby improving the soil environment.
- Spread the compost on the field, and plough it to a depth of about 20cm
- Spread the compost over soil, after planting crops
- Bury compost to a depth of 20cm around a tree
And there you have it! A DIY step-by-step process on how to compost at home.🌿 We actually composted our EcoNest Ph Cassava Biobags using the Takakura Composting Method! Check out the disintegration results here.
Leave a message or share your experience online on how your composting method went! Don’t forget to tag @econestph! We’d love to hear it.
Written by Inna Serafin, Illustration by Joanne Arnante