Even if a set of apartments has a community composter, there are still benefits to composting in individual flats.

Here are a few reasons why:

1. Convenience: Having a compost bin in your own apartment makes it easier to compost your food waste on a regular basis, without having to wait for the waste pick up to happen in the community. And it’s really not healthy to drop organic waste into the garbage chutes. (Unfortunately many municipal authorities do not give a clearance certificate unless there is chute installed in new developments. These authorities do not understand the solutions for our country cannot be mimicked from the west. Thus builders have to put in the chutes to get the clearance even when the collective wisdom across many communities is that chutes are a unhealthy and unwise system in the long-run.
2. Reduced food waste: Composting in individual flats can help reduce food waste because it's easier to keep track of what you're throwing away and make adjustments to your food purchasing and preparation habits accordingly.
3. Nutrient-rich soil: Composting in individual flats can provide you with nutrient-rich soil that you can use for indoor plants or outdoor gardening.
4. Personal sustainability efforts: Composting in your own flat can give you a sense of personal sustainability and contribute to your overall efforts to live a more environmentally friendly lifestyle.

While community composting machines can be a great resource for apartment buildings, they are not always fool-proof and often fail. For example, if the machine is not maintained properly or if too much food waste is added to the machine at once, it can lead to issues such as odour, pests, and even mechanical failure. Many community composting machines promise a quick turnaround of the process but in reality the quality of compost is poor, electricity consumption is high, emissions are harmful and there is unpredictable wear and tear leading to down time and poor waste management.

In such cases, having individual flats composting can be a backup plan to ensure that food waste is still being diverted from the landfill. This can be particularly important in situations where the community composter is out of service or being repaired.

Additionally, even when the community composter is functioning properly, there may be limitations on what can be composted in the machine. For instance, some composters may not be able to handle certain types of food waste, such as meat or dairy products, or may require additional time or effort to process certain items.

By composting in individual flats, residents can have more control over what they compost and can ensure that all of their food waste is being properly processed, regardless of the limitations of the community composter.

Another benefit of individual composting in apartments is the sense of pride and accomplishment that can come from taking individual responsibility for reducing food waste and contributing to a more sustainable living environment. 

Individual composting at home can encourage people to engage in other sustainable actions by increasing their awareness and understanding of environmental issues and the impact of their daily choices on the planet. Here are a few ways that individual composting can lead to more sustainable behaviours:

1. Education: Composting requires a basic understanding of the science behind decomposition and the environmental benefits of diverting food waste from landfills. This education can increase people's awareness of other environmental issues and may inspire them to learn more about sustainability and take action in other areas.
2. Mindfulness: Composting requires people to be mindful of their food waste and consumption habits. This mindfulness can spill over into other areas of their life, making them more conscious of their resource use and more likely to make sustainable choices.
3. Community: Composting can be a social activity that brings people together around a common goal of sustainability. This sense of community can inspire people to get involved in other local sustainability initiatives and take action together and may be more likely to engage in other sustainable practices, such as recycling or reducing their overall consumption of goods and materials.
4. Personal empowerment: Composting can give people a sense of personal empowerment and agency in creating positive change. This feeling of efficacy can lead to a desire to take action in other areas of their life and make a difference in the world.

Overall, individual composting in apartments can be a powerful way for individuals to take ownership of their environmental impact and contribute to a more sustainable future, while also experiencing a sense of personal pride and accomplishment

This is why future thinking builders will encourage their home owners to compost at home. Join the movement today and request your builder to get you a good Daily Dump composter at a discount.

Daily Dump is working with Pride World City who are keen to get their customers to go green and are generously subsidising composters of their choice at the time of handover of the flats.

We believe that in the very near future when you book your flat, a composter comes with it!

Poonam Bir Kasturi

April 2023 Bangalore