Bioremediation of Temple Waste Using Earthworms for Production of Compost and Value Added Products

Management of organic waste is a main concern worldwide, as unscientific disposal of waste is adversely affecting the environment by causing various types of ill effects/health issues. For the management of various types of wastes such as agricultural waste, commercial wastes domestic waste and industrial waste some modern decomposition or degradation methods (aerobic and an-aerobic) are in practice in different parts of globe. Out of all the organic waste, temple floral waste management is yet to be explored. Flower waste is a semi-solid waste produced from temples and rituals like marriages, puja etc. In India, utilization of flowers occurs at different places and for different purposes. Floral waste gets decomposed aerobically as well as an-aerobically. It produces bad smell and toxic gases which leads to health problems in humans. About half by mass floral waste is made up of biodegradable waste. There are many methods which can be used to treat flower waste, but they are slow and very costly and the natural processes are slightly tough to manage. To solve all the problems related to temple waste, Government agencies are also suggesting various techniques such as vermicomposting which is considered to be the most eco-friendly method for the treatment of organic waste. Vermicomposting is a biological process involving interactions between microorganisms and earthworms which efficiently convert different type of organic wastes into nutrient rich manure "black gold". Thus, it may be implemented on commercial scale to eradicate the problem of temple waste, minimise health impacts and would help to promote the concept of "Green Temples".