Composting Of Khat And Related Materials As Solid Waste Management Option In Awaday Town

The huge hip of solid waste has reduced the beauty of the town and became a breeding placernof some rodents and vectors. Moreover; the waste encourages some people to dispose morernand therefore exacerbates the poor sanitation of the town. The total daily average quantity ofrnsolid waste is determined to be approximately 13 tones according to the data obtained forrnApril, 2008 from disposers (i.e. Khat shops or markets) and municipal waste collectionrndepartment. The waste consists of leaves different plants such as khat, eucalyptus tree, smallrnshrubs and grasses. And since the waste is dumped in an open air it is exposed to thernchemical reaction facilitating conditions or factors such as temprature, air and moisture.rnThe process of composting was started by preparing four sites each with 1m3 dimensions atrnHaramaya town. A track of Khat and related materials waste, which weighs 4 tones, wasrntaken as sample from market center of Awaday. The compostible materials are separate fromrnthe waste stream and then shredded to an optimal size. The composing matter is segregaternbetween two groups each with two piles and expose to two different sets of conditions. Thernpiles in the first group are enclosing so as to prevent entry of rodents and exposure tornsunlight. The other piles in the second group are left with no enclosure. However, the latterrnused to be covered with plastic sheets during rainy hours. Moreover, additional conditionsrnand/or factors such as Aeration, moisture, particle size had been maintained and in a pilernfrom each group, manure as facilitator has been used. Besides, temprature measurementsrnhave been taken daily till the end.rnThe temperature of the piles was found to pick up to a maximum of 64°c. Then therntemperature starts to decline to a daily average of 25°c as the compost in the center of pile isrncool or reaches it’s maturity. The analytical results of the Nutrients contents of eight samplesrnof composts taken give values 0.9-1.40 % for nitrogen, 532.00-803.00 ppm for availablernphosphorus and 6775.72-12445.24 ppm for available potassium. Above all the volume ofrnwaste piles have reduced from 1m3 to 0.40 m3 (i.e.60%).rnxrnThe result of the study indicates that composting has effectively reduced the volume of thernwaste and can serve as means of removal. Besides, the widely varying nutrients content isrnsignificant enough to use the resulting compost as alternative fertilizer.

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