Opportunities for agriculture in waste management are growing, as now the policies are increasingly geared towards managing waste more efficiently. The traditional method of disposal is not the best way to deal with agricultural waste. It can harm fragile ecosystems which are crucial for the survival of not just animals but also humans. Below are a few of the agricultural waste types which are unavoidable, especially in Europe: 

  • Livestock manure
  • Cereal straw
  • Pomace from the processing of fruits
  • Leaves and peel from vegetables

Composting in Agriculture

Farm households in rural communities generate solid organic wastes such as manure, tree trimmings, grass clippings, and waste of kitchen ingredients to make compost. Composting the organic portion of solid wastes has multiple benefits in agriculture. Composting kills pathogens, fly larvae, and weed seeds and improves manure handling as well. Using organic manure is better than chemical fertilizers such as weedicides and insecticides. Because these chemicals may be harmful to the human body. It is an advantage to use organic manure such as compost as it is easy for the farmers to find waste materials from the surrounding itself and they won’t have to spend much money on the manufacturing process. Sometimes it may not seem to be an effective thing at the beginning but when it becomes a continuous process not only for the environment but also for the community, it will be an advantage. 

Waste as Fertilizer in Agriculture

Usually, waste management has been seen as a burden in the agricultural sector. But with the growing community around waste recyclers, farmers now have the opportunity to use their own waste as an extra income or as a fertilizer. Farmers can become suppliers of waste since the demand is increasing for waste recycling. Now there are many rules and regulations like high tax rates on chemical fertilizers and supportive regulations towards recycling. Many industries are seeing waste recycling and reusing as a financial plus point rather than a burden. Read more about waste as fertilizer here.

Soap Making

Well, this might a sound bit weird to you. Africans follow some traditional methods in turning the waste into useful products eventually profiting out of it. Cocoa pods turn into agricultural solid waste. They either let them be decomposed naturally or make black soap out of them. This soap is usable in washing the dishes and even for bathing. 

Conclusion

Waste management in agriculture is very important without a doubt. But with less support for recycling and other techniques, there will be fewer people trying to manage their waste in a proper way. The best way to resolve this issue is by opening new ways to earn money from waste. If recycling and selling waste become profitable, farmers will step toward more efficient waste management. With this phase, climate change will have devastating effects on the whole globe. It is better to act sooner rather than later with new ideas and new opportunities.

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