Combined Thermophillic Composting and Vermicomposting in the Bioconversion of Vegetable Market Waste

Thermophillic pre-composting was carried out to sanitize the vegetable market waste for 14 days in a rotary In-vessel and for 30 days in a heap in two separate approaches, before feeding to the earthworms for vermicomposting. The integrated approach of pre-composting in an In-vessel or in a heap, each followed by vermicomposting was carried out to combine the pertinent approaches of both these composting techniques to enhance the overall process and product qualities. The substrate taken was vegetable market waste which was composted along with the bulking agents, sawdust and dry leaves. In both the approaches, cow dung was taken as an inoculum in one trial and pig manure in another trial. The results indicate that the system that combines the techniques of In-vessel composting and vermicomposting not only shortens stabilization time but also improves the product quality.