How to Start a Profitable Compost Business
Updated: Sep 14, 2021
Farmland is disappearing ten to one hundred times faster than it is being formed. Biomass such as compost is critical for the survival of planet Earth, and its reduction has posed a threat to survival itself. The greatest advantage of compost is that not only is it a resource of nutrients for our food, it is also a tool for water conservation. Put simply, compost feeds soils, which in turn feed us.
In the near future, compost will be the most needed item. Already, demand has increased dramatically. The use of wet waste generated at homes by the cities for compost in India has been well received by farmers. On the outskirts of Bangalore, one of the BBMP's waste processing centers saw farmers pick up 25000 tons of compost in March.
Swachh Bharat Abhiyan’s SWM rules 2016, says composting is a must for all Bulk Waste Generators. Municipal bodies have been empowered to implement the rules. There is an increasing awareness amongst people and compliance is improving. There could not have been a better time for composting in India. Now is the perfect time to start your composting business.
Challenges in a business that composts biodegradable waste
Farmland is disappearing 10 to 100 times faster than it is being formed. To produce the required biodiversity in our soils, we need more and more organic matter, more and more biomass.
Compost is the biomass that is essentially the lifeblood of this planet, and reducing it has put our very survival in jeopardy. Not only does it improve the nutritional value of our food, but it is also our greatest water management tool. Simply put, compost feeds the soils, soils feed us.
It will be the most needed item in future there has been a sharp rise in demand already. In India, there is a good response from farmers to compost made by the cities using wet waste generated at homes. One of the BBMP waste processing centers on the outskirts of Bangalore has seen farmers picking up to 25000 tons of compost in March.
Challenges in a composting biodegradable waste business
Composting companies are primarily influenced by three factors:
1. Segregated Waste
Bringing the right type of products to the composting facility is extremely important. Hand-sorting mixed waste is the most common mistake. Though it may seem to offer job opportunities in developing countries, it is difficult to separate wet from dry waste. It is not uncommon for people to begin an endeavor with enthusiasm, only to be disappointed with the stress of stench and the unsanitary way in which they handle things.
The foul odor emanating from rotting waste makes people leave. It is best to bring only separated wet waste into the composting system, as it can be treated directly without any manual separation. It is difficult to acquire such waste in areas where there is little understanding of the differences between wet and dry waste.
2. Composting quality
Household waste (Green Waste) such as vegetable and fruit scraps, leftover food, eggshells, bones, etc. are rich in Nitrogen and proteins. They must be mixed with dry garden waste (Brown Waste) such as dry leaves and twigs. Compost made with this in mind will smell good and sell well.
3. Composting costs
Some of the popular methods of composting, such as pit composting and vermicomposting, are labor-intensive, time-consuming, and very impractical for large volumes of composting. Organic waste converters (OWC) are composting machines that can convert organic waste into rich organic manure. Up to 30% finished compost can be harvested every day. Some OWC’s are very efficient and generate high-quality compost, while others merely burn the waste and call it compost. TALLBOY organic waste converters can produce completely digested, highly nutritious compost with an earthy odor for about Rs.2/- per kg.
Composting is it a profitable business?
Investing in the restoration of the degraded ecosystem can employ a large number of people while also putting us on a road to long-term sustainability. By living in self-sustainable environments people are in harmony with nature, which means that the next generation will have much better lives, so they will be able to take part in a richer social life, have greater wealth, have better diet and healthcare, and have better educational opportunities.
Composting is not just highly profitable, it also restores our soils, the very basis of our existence, if done correctly. On average, a Bulk Waste Generator (BWG) produces 100 kg of garbage, which contains both wet and dry waste. In a given area, two people can manage eight to ten such BWG’s and earn upwards of Rs.100,000 per month from composting.