Organic Waste Converters in Kamothe, Panvel.

Kamothe's societies are mostly mid-sized, and many sit near the bulk-generator threshold at which wet waste must be processed on site. For buildings of this size, a composter that runs without heaters or shredders, or a set of vermicompost pits in the compound, often lasts longer than a powered machine. We weigh a week's wet waste, pick the method, teach the housekeeping team and agree who turns the compost and where it goes.

Kamothe is a CIDCO residential node between Kharghar and Kalamboli, south of the Sion–Panvel highway, opposite Kharghar. It is made almost entirely of housing: sectors of mid-rise society buildings, with shops on the ground floor along the main roads, schools, small parks and the village that gave the node its name. Mansarovar and Khandeshwar stations on the harbour line serve it. Much of the land sits low, sloping towards creek and marsh in the west, and rain drains slowly in heavy spells. The node filled up fast, and its oldest buildings now need looking after.