These students of Class X have formed a vermicompost in the school backyard where the waste is deposited for treatment with worms.

The school is also working on disposal of waste in a systematic manner.

For this, three pits have been designated for different kinds of waste: vegetable and fruit waste, garden residue and hair, are disposed of in separate pits. The objective behind the project is to promote preparation of organic waste at an individual level.

The initiative, which has received tremendous response from students, was the brainchild of teachers of the school: Dr Komal Kaushal and Shikha Nijjher. It took them around three months, starting from shortlisting the topic to motivating students for practical implementation of the idea. Though the project is still in its nascent stage, the teachers say it was not an easy task.

“It was easy to convince students but the gardeners posed a problem. With their own set of opinions, they were not too willing to see reason of disposing waste in a vermicompost. They have been assisting us now after realising the good the task will do to the environment,” said Dr Komal Kaushal. For its project of manufacturing manure from hair, the school has also tied up with the Panjab University.

Professor R K Kohli from the Department of Environment is guiding them in the task. Students collected hair from various barbers after which they were dug into pits to be treated with worms.

“The treatment of hair started about a month back. Results are expected within a period of three months,” said Kaushal.

Apart from encouraging students to bring waste from their homes for the vermicompost, the school has also organised field trips to farmhouses in the periphery to understand the concept of a vermicompost. They also plan to put the waste to use in vegetable farming and crop cultivation to test the utility of the manure.