If you always wondered about how to convert your household waste into composting, then you can now learn it on Whatsapp. Five environment conscious citizens of Pimpri Chinchwad have formed two Whatsapp groups for guiding people in this regard. 

Siddharth Naik, one of the admins, said, "We are a group of enthusiasts who have been preparing compost from wet household waste in our homes for around two years. We now want to guide environment conscious citizens. We have formed two Whatsapp groups, through which we tell people how to do this at home." 

Anand Sitaraman, another member said, "I live in Pimple Saudagar and have been preparing compost at home for two years. All the people who have experience in preparing compost at home like me have come together to make Pimple Saudagar a zero-waste area." 

Rahul Bhagwat, an enthusiast from Rose Country in Pimple Saudagar, said, "Readymade kits to make compost at home cost around Rs 3,000 to Rs 4,000 initially. But if you are willing to prepare the kit yourself, the cost can reduce to less than half. The recurring expenditure is around Rs 100 to 150 per month. The kit needs very less space and can be kept in a corner of the flat's balcony or terrace, and if one follows the correct procedure, no foul smell is generated." 

These enthusiasts held a training session last month for people who were eager to take up composting at home. Many of them completed the first cycle of the process and have prepared compost from household garbage at home. One of the successful Whatsapp group member, Revati Kulkarni from Shubashree in Pimple Saudagar, said, " I use vegetable waste, leftover food and other wet waste to make compost. I live in a row house and use the compost for plants in my small garden."

"The groups help a lot as different people share a variety of experiences. Queries related to composting are answered quickly. Anyone posting on irrelevant topics are removed instantly. So everyone is focused," Kulkarni added. 

Mahesh Pathak, another member from Rajaveer Palace Phase I said he was reluctant initially to start composting fearing foul smell. "When I attended the training workshop I saw that there is no foul smell. This motivated me to implement a composting project at home. Six to seven other residents of our society have also started composting," he added.The groups have 500 active members and a third group is in the offing.