Bulacan town tries microcomposting

HAGONOY, Bulacan — The leaders of this fishing town are putting their hopes on earthworms to improve its primary industry and to address solid waste management problems.

Mayor Felix Ople told The STAR over the weekend that vermicomposting, a process that converts household and farm biodegradable wastes to organic fertilizer using earthworms, can accomplish two things — production of organic fertilizer and vermimeal as a substitute for imported fish meal.

"We are in the final stage of negotiation with concerned government agencies to get started with our project," Ople said.

He explained that together with the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), his administration explored the prospects of using earthworms to address the perennial garbage problem in the town and the increasing amount of input that local fishpond owns are using on their tilapia, bangus and prawn farms.

The mayor also said that garbage generated everyday from 23 of the 25 barangays here reaches more than a ton and the municipal dumpsite in Barangay Abulalas is about to be filled up and really needs to be closed down based on provisions of the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000.

Dr. Conrado Oliveros, DOST regional director for Central Luzon, said that vermicomposting needs worms that will process biodegradable materials through their digestive tract. This will produce texturized, sanitized and deodorized castings known as vermicompost.