Abstract

Growing food from parts of plants that are usually discarded during cooking is an excellent way to reduce waste and save money. Rather than throwing away the tops or bottoms of vegetables, such as beets, celery, scallions, leeks and romaine lettuce, these parts can be regrown into leafy greens or other produce. This can easily be done right in your own home by placing the vegetable scraps in water and allowing them to grow. In a recent study focused on cultivating leafy vegetables such as Amaranthus gangeticus (Red), Amaranthus gangeticus (Green), Hibiscus sabdariffa (roselle), Spinacia oleracea and coriander, kitchen waste was used as a growth medium. Various growth parameters, including root length, shoot length, number of leaves per plant and fresh weight of the plants, were analyzed from 20 Days After Sowing (DAS) to 60 DAS. The results showed that red Amaranthus and coriander had the maximum growth. The tested plants grew healthy and effectively, as compared to the control group. Kitchen waste is a common occurrence in households, both in urban and rural areas and can be an excellent supplement in vegetable gardens. This project prevented a significant amount of waste from being collected, transported and disposed of or incinerated. This approach is economically sustainable since decentralized composting costs were lower than the average cost of municipal solid waste treatment in the region. In Andhra Pradesh, urban gardening is a new phenomenon. This research work will help people to understand the benefits of kitchen gardening in urban areas of Andhra Pradesh.

Keywords:Kitchen waste; Solid waste; Amaranthus; Red Amaranthus; Spinach; Coriander; Kanaf