UG 30 – ECO-FRIENDLY WASTE RECOVERY AND DISINFECTION
Project Location
The St. Daniel Comboni Spiritual Centre is managed by the Comboni Missionary Sisters on the hill of Namugongo at the outskirts of Uganda’s capital, Kampala. The Centre is located near the holy Shrine of the Catholic Martyrs of Uganda and offers a place for meditation, meetings and for the ongoing spiritual formation of those who are looking for a quiet place for reflection and prayer.
The compound includes a vegetable garden which contributes to the self-sufficiency of the Centre, and a large park that allows guests to enjoy the spectacle of Creation: flowers, plants, the singing of birds, the absence of noise.
Project description
To contribute to the preservation of nature and provide for the sustainable maintenance of this enchanting location, Sr. Rosemary, the sister in charge, collaborates with an expert in agroecology passionate about environmental conservation who is teaching the Centre’s gardeners and apprentices sustainable gardening and horticulture techniques and sharing his knowledge of waste disposal.
The greatest challenge to face, in fact, is that of the treatment of daily waste, in a country where there is no separate collection of garbage. To take this challenge head-on, the first step was to sort the various types of waste into large bins, thus separating organic material, paper, plastic and glass. However, there immediately arose the problem of how to handle the single types of waste and how to eventually get rid of them.
First, we focused on organic waste. Since ours is a type of organic-acidulous waste, distributing it directly on the flower beds would have been harmful for vegetation. Our expert, however, has found the solution: to use that material to prepare Bakashi, an organic fertilizer that is obtained by mixing the waste with coffee peels and coal powder, according to a traditional "recipe" that allows us to prepare within a few weeks a sustainable manure suitable for the garden and flowers.
The paper waste of the Centre, which we previously collected in a large pile that was then set on fire, is now eliminated by pyrolysis, a type of combustion that limits the release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Thanks to this technique, the garbage burns slowly creating coal dust (biochar), which can be used to produce organic fertilizers and charcoal briquettes. The plastic is delivered to a woman who resells the bottles, whereas for the glass we still have to figure out how to deal with it.
At present, the Centre prepares various types of fertilizer, including one derived from cow dung; unfortunately though we lack a shelter for the organic fertilizers in which to carry out the process of decomposition of manure. For the time being, in the absence of a dedicated space all the organic material is left to decompose on the floor of the former chicken coop. The sisters therefore need a shed where to process the manure, in order to be able to vacate the henhouse and start to raise Kuroiler chicken there.
To protect the vegetation from pests infestation, in the compound we spray a solution prepared with animal urine and ashes. This solution repels insects that drop down without being killed and brings a myriad of nutrients, which results in increased productivity of fruit and vegetable crops and extensive flowering of ornamental plants. In order to use this treatment also on the fruit trees - mangoes, oranges and avocados, which are quite high - thus reducing the floral bud abortions and the premature fruit drop, the Centre urgently needs a specific spraying machine with a wide radius.
Objectives
- To differentiate and dispose of the Centre’s waste in a sustainable way, creating a virtuous circle of consumption and recycling
- To offer he Centre’s guests in search of spirituality a healthy and welcoming environment
- To optimize and increase the harvests of the Centre’s fruits and vegetables
- To promote and implement the spirit of Pope Francis' Encyclical Laudato Si'
Beneficiaries
Direct: guests, tenants, staff, trainees and neighbours of the St. Daniel Comboni Spiritual Centre Namugongo
Indirect: society
Referent sister: Sr. Rosemary Nassali
Project's costs