MAKE MONEY FROM YOUR KITCHEN WASTE
From keeping black soldier ies, crickets and turning it into manure, your kitchen waste is gold
Grow black soldier ies
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lack soldier ies are now much sought-after by animal feed makers because of their high level protein. Currently, demand is higher than supply as not many people are in the venture. The dumpsite y, as it is commonly known, is taking the place of ďŹ sh (omena) as the main protein source in animal food because the latter is becoming scarce and more expensive. Black soldier y rearing can be done in your backyard with very minimal investment and still earn you good income. The ies feed on organic wastes such as orange, mango and potato peels and food leftovers, hence the name dumpsite y. While it is not entirely necessary to chop the peels into tiny pieces, it is worthwhile to do so because it eases the feeding process of the larvae allowing them time to concentrate the food into proteins in their bodies. To rear the insects, one uses commercially made plastic trays or you can improvise yours from jerry cans. You put in the larvae together with the waste and keep adding until the larvae are ready for harvest. It takes 14 days for the larvae to mature. You will know it is time to harvest when they start to turn black. A kilogramme of the larvae goes for Sh100.
By Winnie Lelei
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good chunk of waste that ends up in dumpsites comes from households in towns. While dumping seems to be the easiest way of doing away with the waste, organic waste from the kitchen can generate good income for the average urban household. There are a number of ways you can put your organic waste into use. The waste include leftover food, potato peels, fruit pulp or covers, chicken or dog dropping. You can also collect such waste from your neighbors. And before you try any of the following ventures, you will need to separate the organic waste, for instance, leftover food from chicken droppings.
Keep crickets
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ust like black soldier ies, crickets are a good source of proteins and feed on organic kitchen waste. However, unlike the black soldier y, this insect has been embraced more as a human delicacy. You can engage in cricket rearing in a smaller space at your home or much more better, in your backyard as you feed them on kitchen waste. Crickets are omnivorous and can eat just about anything. They enjoy rotting plant matter but can also eat fresh tender leaves of spinach, sukuma wiki, cabbage or lettuce. They can also be fed on leftover meat. Keep your crickets in a deep cage to prevent them from escaping. Place vegetable leaves in the cage to allow them to munch as much as they need. Try to change their diet often and make sure they have a constant supply of food because in the face of starvation, the insects can cannibalise each other.
Composting
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nother way to use your organic kitchen waste is by making compost manure for your home garden or owers. When bacteria present in the soil break down bio-degradable material such as fruit peels and green vegetation, the result is a mineral rich material that is ideal for enriching the soil in your garden. Making compost manure not only provides a way of disposing waste but also helps one to save money spent on inorganic fertilisers. The manure improves soil structure and aeration giving your soil a longer life. To make compost manure, mix your kitchen waste and any other organic waste available such as yard vegetation in bin or in a pit and give it some weeks to decompose. Place your bin in a discreet location as the smell may become a nuisance to neighbors. Ready compost is mixed with soil or mulched around the plants to prevent water loss.
