EVE BURNS
A new composting program in Laura aims to roll out locally-made fertilizer in the near future.Majuro Atoll Waste Company (MAWC) established its Laura Transfer Station Composting Project last year and a team of local workers with Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) senior volunteer Masafumi Kanazawa have been developing the operation. The goal is to have a product to sell to the public, especially the large number of local farmers around Majuro.
Kanazawa said they are getting a good result from the composting operation. The compost is a combination of three materials: green waste provided by MAWC, fish waste supplied by MIMRA, and waste from copra milling by Tobolar. The project was described as another “Be Marshallese, Buy Marshallese” initiative.
“The compost smell is going away, and the compost looks good,” said Kanazawa. “It will be ready soon for trial test.” Kanazawa has been working as a volunteer with MAWC for almost two years. Laura Transfer Station Composting Project has eight Marshallese men handling its operations. The workers keeps data records of how the compost is produced, said Kanazawa.
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