Abstract: Household waste management is a crucial task owing to the increasing amount of pollution in the environment and the wide range of different components in this solid waste. Household waste is mostly comprised of biodegradable and highly putrescible kitchen waste. Through the activity of earthworms, such waste can be recycled with vermicomposting, and this bio-conversion of organic waste material transforms waste into nutrient-rich ‘Vermicompost,' benefiting both the economy and the environment. With this context, the present study was undertaken to determine the impact of household waste management through vermicomposting on environment and to find out the economic benefits of household waste management through vermicomposting and to identify constraints perceived by households during the household waste management through vermicomposting. The present study was descriptive in nature. Purposive random sampling was used to scrutinize 60 households and the locale of study was RPCAU Pusa Campus. The data was gathered by using a well-structured interview schedule and the personal interview-cum-observation method. The results of the study revealed that more or less every household in the university's residential area generates approximately 1.12 kg of waste, of which 68.75% was biodegradable and 31.25% was non-biodegradable waste. Respondents agreed that vermicomposting eliminates the use of chemical fertilizers in their gardens and farms (62%), disposing of waste in random areas has been reduced (55%), it helps to create a greener and healthier environment than before (48%) and stench from overfilled garbage bins and uncollected waste on roadside has been reduced (42%). The present study revealed the cost benefit ratio was 1.44 showed that vermicomposting as a tool of HWM could be an attainable and feasible enterprise and hence can generate the revenue and employment. This study encourages both government and private organizations to use eco-friendly technology to reduce, recycle, and manage waste through vermicomposting in order to achieve a positive impact on the environment. Furthermore, the current study promotes youth and farmers to use low-cost HWM technology such as vermicomposting to earn significant benefits and increase farm income.
Keywords: Household waste, Waste Management, Vermicompost, Environment, Economic benefits,
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DOI:
10.17148/IARJSET.2021.81212