Dainfern-based waste management business recognised by the United Nations

A Dainfern-based waste management business was recognised by the United Nations in the Top 300 Practices on Sustainability in the world, announced in late January.

The Compost Kitchen is a company that collects food waste from households weekly to be recycled into vermicompost with the use of earthworms. The vermicompost is then given back to the customer each month for their gardens to grow vegetables again.

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The Compost Kitchen was started in 2018 thanks to founder Himkaar Singh. The idea for the waste management company came in 2017 when South Africa went through a serious drought. He had resigned from his civil-engineering job to pursue a Master’s degree abroad in Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM).

“I lived in Germany, Vietnam and Jordan for five months each. Throughout this time, I gained holistic experience in all aspects related to IWRM from technology, to pollution, to water scarcity, while gaining unimagined experience in multi-cultural teamwork.

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“The soil’s impact on the water cycle is the most significant out of any other factors related to water. One critical aspect of soil, which is particularly important, is its organic matter content.

“The organic matter is what enables the soil to act as a sponge and gives food to all life in the soil.”

Singh said making the Top 300 list has the potential to unlock opportunities in the near future, and was grateful for the support received by the community and the country.

“We received an overwhelming flood of messages of support from the Fourways community when we announced the big news. I think Fourways is a great place to start a business because they are always looking out for the small business.”

The biggest goal Singh has for The Compost Kitchen is to bring the country to an organic farming state, assisting in water security. Currently, the waste management company covers areas like Kyalami, Cedar Lakes, Morningside, Bryanston and Helderfontein.

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“It is a model of models. It is designed for phases to lead to the next phase, and the next, which brings us ever closer to evolving South Africa into an ‘organic farming state’,” he explained.

“This is because the soil needs to be rich in organic matter to keep the crops healthy. If we can make all farms produce organic food, we repair the soil of South Africa and therefore improve its water security.”

Details: www.compostkitchen.com

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