Management of Urban Solid Waste using

Vermicomposting with Eisenia Fetida

By: Omar Bustami
Supervised by: Dr. Yasmin Murad
 1. Definition of the Problem
1- We have a global problem which has been occurring for some time now, it is
the increase in the amounts of CO2 which is a result of non-environmentally-
friendly WASTE disposal.
 2- Farmers have been using compost and
other supplemental components such as
chemical fertilizers for their crops for
various reasons such as resisting specific
circumstances and conditions or enhance
growth and some of these composts and
supplements have proven to be harmful
to some extent for plants and soil.
 2. Solution to the Problem
 The solution of this problem is VERMICOMPOSTING which is a process in
which earthworms feed on biological waste (food waste / greens / browns) and
paper waste (cardboard / paper) in order to create VERMICAST which will be
then used on plants as fertilizer.
 As a result:
 1- We eliminate the damage done by waste
combustion and dumping
 2- We facilitate the economy by using Vermicast in
agriculture
 3- We eliminate the harmfulness of chemical
fertilizers by using organic Vermicast.
 3. Scope of Work

 1- Key Resources
 2- Key Activities
 For this project to be put into action, we will be
needing several resources. The list of required
resources can be summed up as follows:

3.1 Key 1. Piece of land.

Resources 2. Earth worms (Eisenia Fetida) commonly

known as red earthworms.
3. Hangar (or any other closed structure).
 3.2 Key Activities
The main activities in this project will consist of the following:
 
1. Collecting waste (biological/paper).
 Collecting paper and biological waste.
 Shredding paper/cardboard to make the bedding layer for the bins.
 Spraying the paper/cardboard layers with water in order to maintain a moist layer.

2. Feeding the worms.

 Distribute the waste on the bins

3. Maintain the process of worm feeding

 4. Targets
 Studies show that approximately 400 kg of compost is equivalent to the
reduction of 1 ton of CO2 emissions.
 For example, if we are working on a 500 square meters piece of land, we will
be producing 45+ Tons of compost (annually), and we will be reducing Carbon
emissions by 112.5 Tons.
 In 10 years or less, we will have reduced the Carbon footprint by 1000+ Tons.
 5. Revenue Streams
 Studies show that approximately 400 kg of compost is equivalent to the
reduction of 1 ton of CO2 emissions.
 For example, if we are working on a 500 square meters piece of land, and using
12x4x2 feet bins (12 feet length, 4 feet width, and 2 feet height), with the
compost having a unit weight of 420-655 kg/𝑚3, we will be using 80
composting bins having a total area of (12 x 4 x 0.0929 x 80= 356.75 𝑚2), each
having a volume of (12 x 4 x 2 x 0.0283= 2.718 𝑚3), which then will produce
(80 x 2.718 = 217.473 𝑚3) of vermicompost (per 500 𝑚2 of land)
 Using the unit weight of compost, we will be able to generate (217.473×(420 𝑡𝑜
655)𝑘𝑔/𝑚3)= 91.34 to 142.4 tons of compost each 60-65 days (which is the time
for vermicompost to fully produce). And at this pace, we will be producing
(548-854) Tons of compost (annually), assuming the process continues non-stop
(6 cycles, 2 months each), and we will be reducing Carbon emissions by (1370-
2135) Tons Annually, assuming each 400 kg of compost reduces 1 Ton of CO2
emissions. If this process continues for 10 years or so, we will have reduced the
Carbon footprint by (13700-21350) Tons.
 6. Project Feasibility
 Using the same project scale in the previous section, we will
generate approximately 750,000- 1,500,000 JDs annually (assuming
100% production) based on the pricing (1.5-3 JDs/kg).
 If we take the average price of vermicompost to be 2.25 JDs/kg, and
taking into consideration all the logistical, equipment and labor
work, and assuming it arbitrarily to be (100,000 JDs/year), then we
can approximately scale the project to 1,000,000 JDs/year per 500
square meters land (assuming 100% working capacity).
 References
1- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eisenia_fetida
2- tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/02541858.1988.11448096
3- https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/co2-emissions-by-country
4-