After visiting this blog, you may be wondering “Can this REALLY make a difference in our lives and in our environment? Will we REALLY benefit from all this?”. Well, we would be biased in saying yes, so we have decided to convince you that this can really MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
On July 10, 2000, the Philippines experienced one of the worst trash-based disasters in the world. During this time, a huge mountain of trash fell upon hundreds of people in the Payatas Dumpsite in Quezon City, killing most and injuring many others. Many Filipinos still remember this event with shock and disgust.
Payatas Dumpsite, Quezon City, Philippines
If you take a good look at the situation, the cause of the tragedy was garbage; the copious amounts of garbage we dispose everyday led to that terrible disaster. In 2003, the National Solid Waste Management Commission (NSWMC) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) estimated that the Philippines disposed around 27,397 TONS of garbage daily; in contrast, in 2000, only 19,700 tons were being disposed daily. If in 2000, the Payatas Dumpsite was already a hazard, how much more today now that the amount of waste being disposed has increased tremendously?
Now, you might be asking “Where does vermiculture fit into all this?”; the answer is simple, it is one of the integral components in the solution to this problem. Of all this waste, 50% of its compostion is yard, wood, and kitchen waste; in short, BIODEGRADABLE waste. This is the kind of waste that is used for composting and vermiculture. As you SHOULD know by now, composting is the process of speeding up the decomposition process in biodegradable matter; in contrast, vermiculture is composting using worms. As you can probably see by now, there is a connection between the two. Both vermiculture (and composting) turn biodegradable matter into organic fertilizer; 50% of trash in the Philippines is Biodegradable matter (and is also probably the case in other countries). THEREFORE, from this given information, we can derive the following conclusion: Vermiculture (and composting) are important in the reduction of trash.
IF vermiculture (and composting ) are both utilized to their fullest potential (ergo, they are widely practiced and implemented), the (positive) impact of this on the amount of trash generated (and the environment) will be phenomenal. Imagine, if they ARE utilized to their fullest potential, assuming that EVERYONE practices vermiculture and composting, half of the trash produced each day will be ELIMINATED. The amount of trash will be reduced from 27, 397 tons daily to 13,698.5 tons; in short, we will prevent 13,698.5 tons of trash from being dumped daily, 95,889.5 tons weekly, appox. 383,558 tons monthly, and 5,003,377.125 tons annually. Let us tell you this, that makes a HUGE difference.
After reading this post, we hope that you will have changed your perspective of vermiculture (and composting as well) for the better; after all, those little, seemingly insignificant things that we do turn into big things when magnified to a population of hundreds of thousands, or millions, or even billions. So remember…. if you think worms are useless….
THINK AGAIN.
References and sources:
http://thinkgreen.wordpress.com/2007/01/23/hello-world/
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/97/Payatas-Dumpsite_Manila_Philippines02.jpg
Filed under: Benefits, Connections, Vermiculture | Tagged: Benefits, Connections, Vermiculture
[...] Think worms are useless?… THINK AGAIN. [...]
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Well, that was quite INDECENT of you, Mr./Ms. Booring; not only did you disrespect the site, but ALL of the people who worked hard to make it what it is today. It seems as if you do not know how it feels to be disrespected YOURSELF, especially for something you created. As my fellow author said, if you wanted to comment, AT LEAST MAKE IT A CONSTRUCTIVE ONE. Remember, the right to free speech is accompanied with the OBLIGATION and RESPONSIBILITY to be ACCOUNTABLE for what you say. PLEASE be more considerate in your commenting, as ACTUAL PEOPLE are responsible for the things you just commented on.
If you just commented to insult us, then why did you bother? Senseless comments here will not be appreciated, Mr/Ms. Booring. If you must criticize us, please tell us on how to improve, and not just bash us.
It is so true. Only most people still don’t care thiking once the trash is thrown out that’s the last of the problem…