The Indore Method "reloaded"

The Indore Method


The Indore process consists of a systematic use of traditional
procedures. When Howard first put the system into practice, he used
only animal manures, brush, leaves, straw or hay, and sprinklings of
chalk or earth. The material was piled in alternating layers to make a
5-foot-high stack, or it was placed in a pit 2 or 3 feet deep. The original
procedure was to use a layer of brush as a base and to heap green or
dry vegetable material over it in a 6-inch layer, followed by a 2-inch
layer of manure and a sprinkling of soil. The order of layers was
repeated until the desired height of 5 feet was reached.
The general proportions were, by volume, 3 to 4 parts of vegetable
matter to 1 part of animal manure. Sir Albert advised spreading limestone
or chalk between layers along with earth. In his work with village
or large farm-scale projects, he suggested 5-foot-high piles, measuring
10 by 5 feet, or windrows of any practical length, 10 feet wide.
Later in the history of the Indore method, composting with night
soil (mixed human urine and feces), garbage, and sewage sludge was
done. These materials were layered with high-carbon organic material
such as straw, leaves, animal litter, and municipal trash.
The piles were turned, usually after 6 weeks, and again after 12
weeks. Two turnings were the general practice, but the exact timing of
these turnings varied. Occasionally, additional turnings were given to

































In the Indore method, a layer of brush forms the base of the pile. It is
followed by a layer of green or dry vegetable matter, then a layer of
manure and a sprinkling of soil. The layers are repeated until the pile
is 5 feet high.
control flies, though the more common practice was to cover the pile
with a 2-inch layer of compacted soil when flies or odors were a
problem. The liquor draining from the composting mass was, in some
variations of the early Indore process, recirculated to moisten the pile.
Harold B. Gotaas, in Composting: Sanitary Disposal and Reclamation
of Organic Wastes, suggests that the early Indore process stacks were
aerobic for a short period after piling and after each turn, but anaerobic
otherwise.
The chief advantage to the Indore method as originally practiced
is that it can be practiced on a fairly large scale without the need for
either mechanization or a great amount of labor. According to Dr.
Golueke, although many successful large-scale modified Indore composting
efforts use windrows, composting of garden and kitchen waste
by the Indore method is done best in bins or pits.