PERTANIAN & MANUSIA UNIVERSITI PUTRA MALAYSIA

1. COMPOSTING
Agriculture and
Man
Assoc.Prof Dr.
Uma Rani
Dept. of Crop
Science

2. What is Composting?
Is a way of breaking down wastes in order to
make compost, which is beneficial for
keeping the soil healthy so that the plants
will grow from it. Instead of throwing away food
scraps, we can include them in an organic
compost pile so that they can be used as
fertilizer for the soil.

3. Why use Compost?
Improve the fertility of soil
helps soil retain fertilizers better. So
it may reduces or eliminates the need for
fertilizers altogether.
Cost effective
spend less money on fertilizer,
insecticides and fungicides

4. Reduce the incidence and severity of
diseases
resistance to wide array of
bacterial and fungal diseases so that
crop yields may increase.
Human health
Compost contains and preserves
micronutrients that are needed by our
body

5. What is the difference between
compost and fertilizer?
 Compost is used
to improve soil
structure while
fertilizer is
‘food’for plants .
 Compost and
organic fertilizer
can work
together.

6. Example Ways of Composting
 Anerobic composting (the using of closed
container as no oxygen is needed)
 Aerobic composting (oxygen is needed)
 Vermicomposting

7. Vermicomposting
 The use of earthworm to
convert waste, into
compost.
 The earthworms speed up
the disintegration process
and the trouble of turning
over the compost and the
smell of decomposing
material.
 Furthermore, vermicast
(droppings) from the
earthworms also provide
additional nutrients to the
soil.

8. The process of composting

9. How to make Compost?
 Can be made both aerobically (using
oxygen) and anaerobically (without oxygen)
 Also can be made thermophically (relatively
high temperature) and mesophically
(moderate temperature)
 Composting usually takes 2-6 weeks (depend
on the materials used)

10. What kind of wastes can be
used?
 Fruit and vegetables scrap
 Leaves
 Eggshells
 Garden plants and grass
 Garden weeds
 Hay or straw
 Flowers
 Coffee grounds
 Chicken manure
 Corn cobs
 Wood chips

11. wastes that can be avoided
The using of this kind of wastes may
attract pest :
 meat
 Bonesv
 Fish scrap
 Perennial weed
 Diseased plant
 Pet manures
 Fruit peels

12. Example of composting using
oil palm leaves in Malaysia

14. Lets start do our
own compost !

15. 1
Dig a shallow hole and set the compost pile
in the earth to let worms and other
beneficial microorganism go to work on it.

16. 2
If you have twigs and
straw in your
compost pile, you
should put them in
the compost pit first.
Making sure that they
are buried few inches
deep into the earth

17. 3
When adding
compost
materials, make
sure that you do
it in layers and
that you alternate
the dry and moist
materials

18. 4
Now you can add the manure and
the grass and other plants

19. 5
 Always keep the
compost moist
This will be no
problem during rainy
season since
rainwater will do the
job
If dry season, make
sure you water the
compost just like
water the plant

20. 6  You can help
retain moisture in
the compost pit
by covering it
with anything,
such as wood,
carpet scraps, or
even plastic
sheets. Also
serves as
protection from
too much
rainwater

21. 7To aerate the the compost pile, make sure
that you turn the pile every few weeks using
a shovel or pitch fork
- Can help add
oxygen to speed up
composting process

22. 8
 You may also choose to add new materials
later on
Don’t worry about layering the materials
since you can simply mix them together with
the rest the pile.

23. How can we know our compost
is ready to use?
 Color : blackish brown
 Smell : weak like a smell of soil
 Texture : easily clotting when are kneaded,
and easily break when are pressed

24. Activator materials in
Composting

25. Composting’s Technology in
Malaysia
recycle your food
waste into
organic compost
within 24 hours
only

26. COMPOSTECH machines
 1. Mixing
During the recycling process, the food waste is mixed with
the bulking agent inside the main chamber.
 2. Heating
The temperature is set above 60 degrees to get rid of bad
bacterias contained in the food waste. This heating functions
also as a dryer to remove the water content from the initial
loading.
 3. Aerating
Composting requires oxygen. Compostech is equipped with
a air-blower to ensure the material is well aerated inside the
main chamber.