Prologue:
Perspective of age old days: the population was less, needs were few and resources were abundant. The generation of waste was such that it got naturally recycled, being mostly biodegradable. Conversely, after the advent of industrial revolution different types of wastes came into existence which are often both non-biodegradable and highly hazardous. Production is always associated with some form of pollution and in specific cotton cultivation, production and processing releases various types of waste, of which more than half is reused.
In India, the total cotton fiber consumption is estimated to be 26 lakh tons per year, of which approximately 2, 10, 000 tones of cotton dust (micro dust, a non-saleable waste), is produced during yarn manufacturing process. The problems associated with microdust, have now assumed serious consideration, since it has no resale value. Also, it pollutes the atmosphere and if not degraded properly leads to infectious diseases and release of foul odour. However, most of them are disposed off by burning, which inturn increase carbon dioxide level in the atmosphere which adds on to the global warming. In recent times, it is not put to any other use, other than compost for cultivation of vegetables.
An unforeseen statistical report denotes the fact, that in India, the total amount of willow dust generated, is about 80, 000 - 85, 000 tons per annum. This willow waste is too short a fiber to be used for any textile application and is just disposed off as landfills. This is highly hazardous and thus needs an alternative remedy. Therefore, this non resalable waste was collected, processed and converted into biocompost by the use of vermicomposting and enzymes technology which can be a very convincing effort to reduce and recycle waste. Vermicomposting, in its broadest sense can be termed as waste minimization which is an very effective technology for managing solid organic wastes, into highly beneficial and valuable compost that can be used as a supplement to increase soil fertility. In addition it creates home for millions of microorganisms with an additional benefit of reducing the toxicity of the wastes. The resultant vermicompost is a very good substitute for chemical fertilizer and has more than normal heap manure.
The latest buzz in textiles is the abuse of chemicals in the form of fertilizers and pesticides, which have caused a downbeat on the health of animals, human and the general ecological balance. The WHO report quoted that every year 20,000 farmers die because of insecticides and their harmful effects. Cotton being a very fertilizer dependant crop, has an undisclosed fact: that 65% of the chemicals used during cultivation enter into both directly and indirectly into our food chain, which is agonizing. Undoubtedly, the manure castings excreted by worms, is an effective biofertiliser, which has a high content of readily available minerals for plant growth, which can be an enormous relief to the above discussed hitch.
Cultivation of organic methods has helped farmers to improve sustainable productivity and now we know the science, we see the threat, and this is high time for action. Third world environment lists have also recognised the “return to the sender policy” as the only effective means of discouraging toxic dumping.
This is a new beginning which will throw smiles on our poor hard toiled farmer, by reducing the dependence, on costly and hazardous chemicals and pesticides. The mill owners and hospital management can be guided on safe disposal and reuse of the hazardous wastes sourcing out from them. Thus, Ecology is expected to be the next trend and thus the research was designed to recycle the selected textile wastes namely willow waste and medical waste into a valuable biocompost and to study on its efficacy. This can be a gift, from an industry that gives the maximum effluent, namely textile, to an industry most pioneering and biggest in India, namely agriculture, which might reduce the curse on the former industry.
Key words: willow waste, decomposing, composting, biocompost, vermicomposting, textile recycling
The authors are with the Department of Textiles and Clothing, Avinashilingam University for Women, Coimbatore, India
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