How This Engineer Turns Chennai’s Waste Into Compost

When Natarajan P returned home to Chennai from the United States, the city’s persistent waste crisis became all the more visible to him. He could not simply turn away and say it was not his problem. An attempt to move an overflowing waste bin near a school made him realise that the bin was more than just a pile of rubbish — it was a reflection of Chennai’s wider reluctance to take responsibility for its waste. He began with what was within his own control, raising awareness about waste segregation. But when awareness alone was not enough, he institutionalised his efforts by establishing Namma Ooru Foundation, a non-governmental organisation that has since adopted and operates three micro composting centres across Chennai. In this documentary, Natarajan takes us through the science behind operating micro composting and explains how segregated organic waste can be transformed into nutrient-rich manure, turning a waste crisis into a resource for the soil. Chapters: 0:00 Chennai's waste crisis 1:10 Coming back from US 1:46 Getting into waste management sector 3:05 Adopting a micro composting centre 4:22 Composting process involved in micro composting centre 7:25 Manure for soil health #goodfoodmovement #chennaiwaste #wastemanagement