In line with the safe and sustainable policies followed at The Tamara Coorg, a comprehensive organic waste management system known as ‘Manthan’ has been adopted for composting. Extremely effective in recycling kitchen and garden waste, it plays a critical role in reducing the volume of garbage needlessly sent to landfills for disposal and creates a nutrient rich organic additive for use in the coffee plantation. Per the Manthan process, organic food waste is emptied daily into a tank or Manthan of 300 liters capacity, along with coco peat, dry leaves, sawdust, and a completely organic accelerator. Once the Manthan is three-quarters full, it is rotated regularly to homogenise the waste with the sawdust and create optimum conditions for microbes to build heat in the pile. Half a teaspoon of baking soda and more accelerators are added during rotation and a month later, the semi-done compost is emptied into a crate. Subsequently, it is transferred to a concrete pit for two months where it is kept moist with regular inputs of accelerator. After three more months, the compost is sieved and considered ready for use.
A total of 16 Manthans are currently functioning at The Tamara Coorg, with each capable of processing 15 kg of organic waste per day. In similar fashion, treated water at the resort is used in the laundry service while all non-biodegradable dry waste is collected and transported to recycling units.
