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Worms Can Recycle
Your Garbage
Prepared by:
RHonda Sherman
Agriculturual Engineering Specialist
Food wastes are buried or
burned each year at considerable financial and environmental cost. Instead of
discarding your food scraps, you can recycle them with the help of worms.
Vermicomposting (worm composting) turns many types of kitchen waste into a
nutritious soil for plants. When worm compost is added to soil, it boosts the
nutrients available to plants and enhances soil structure and drainage.
Using worms to decompose food
waste offers several advantages:
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It reduces household
garbage disposal costs;
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It produces less odor and
attracts fewer pests than putting food wastes into a garbage container;
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It saves the water and
electricity that kitchen sink garbage disposal units consume;
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It produces a free,
high-quality soil amendment (compost);
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It requires little space,
labor, or maintenance;
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It spawns free worms for
fishing.
Equipment and
Supplies
The materials needed to
start a vermicomposting system are simple and inexpensive. All you will need
are a worm bin, bedding, water, worms, and your food scraps. Worm Bin. A
suitable bin can be constructed of untreated, nonaromatic wood, or a plastic
container can be purchased. If a plastic container is used, it should be
thoroughly washed and rinsed before worms and bedding are added. The bin size
depends on the amount of food waste produced by your household. For two people
(producing approximately 31/2 pounds of food scraps per week), a box 2 feet
wide, 2 feet long, and 8 inches deep should be adequate. A 2-foot-by-3-foot
box is suitable for four to six people (about 6 pounds of waste per week).
Redworms (the type used for vermicomposting) thrive in moist bedding in a bin
with air holes on all sides. For aeration and drainage, drill nine l/2-inch
holes in the bottom of the 2-foot-by-2-foot bin or 12 holes in the
2-foot-by-3-foot bin. Place a plastic tray under the worm bin to collect any
moisture that may seep out. Keep a lid on the bin, as worms like to work in
the dark. Locate the worm bin where the temperature remains between 55° and
77°F. (An indoor location is preferable.)
Bedding. The worms
need bedding material in which to burrow and to bury the garbage. It should be
a nontoxic, fluffy material that holds moisture and allows air to circulate.
Suitable materials include shredded paper (such as black-and-white newspapers,
paper bags, computer paper, or cardboard); composted animal manure (cow,
horse, or rabbit); decaying leaves; or peat moss (which increases moisture
retention). Add two handfuls of soil to supply roughage for the worms. Adding
crushed eggshells provides not only roughage but also calcium for the worms,
and it lowers acidity in the bin. About 4 to 6 pounds of bedding is needed for
a 2-foot-by-2-foot bin (for two people), and 9 to 14 pounds of bedding should
be used in a 2-foot-by-3-foot bin (for four to six people).
Water. To keep
bedding moist, add 3 pints of water for each pound of bedding. You will need
about 1 l/2 to 21/4 gallons of water for 4 to 6 pounds of bedding.
Worms. It is
important to get the type of worms that will thrive in a worm bin. Only
redworms or "wigglers" (Eiseniafoetida) should be used (do not use
nightcrawlers or other types of worms). Worms can be obtained from bait shops,
nurseries, or by mail from commercial worm growers; the commercial growers are
the most reliable source. Add 1 pound of worms to the 2-foot-by-2-foot bin or
2 pounds of worms to the 2-foot-by-3-foot bin.
Food Scraps. Feed
your worms any nonmeat organic waste such as vegetables, fruits, eggshells,
tea bags, coffee grounds, paper coffee filters, and shredded garden waste.
Worms especially like cantaloupe, watermelon, and pumpkin. Do not add meat
scraps and bones, greasy foods, fat, tobacco, or pet waste.
Starting the
Process
To start your
vermicomposting system, first select a location for your worm bin, such as the
basement, garage, or kitchen. Soak the bedding in a bucket overnight so that
it is moist but not soggy. Place the bedding evenly into the worm bin and
gently add the worms to the surface of the bedding. Keep the bin lid off for 1
to 2 hours so that the worms will move away from the light and burrow into the
bedding.
Once the worms have settled
into their new home, add food scraps. It is best to dig a hole in the bedding,
place waste in the hole, and cover it with about 1 inch of bedding. Bury food
scraps in a different area of the bin each time. Worms may be fed any time of
the day. Do not worry if you must leave for a few days, as the worms can be
fed as seldom as once a week.
Harvesting the
Worms and Compost
In three to four months,
your worms will have turned the food scraps and bedding into a dark, rich,
soil-like material called vermicompost. This material can be mixed into the
soil in your garden and around your trees and yard plants. It can also be
added to potting soil for your houseplants.
To harvest the vermicompost,
push all of the bedding to one side of your worm bin. Place new, moist bedding
(half of the original amount of bedding) on the empty side, and add food
scraps only to the new bedding. Within about four weeks, all of the worms will
have moved into the new bedding and left finished compost on the old bedding
side. Remove the compost and replace it with new bedding (half of the original
amount). Now you can begin adding food scraps to both sides of the bin again.
Repeat this process every three to five months.
Managing Your Worm
Bin
Here are some other things
you should know about your vermicomposting system.
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If too much food is
added, the system can become overloaded and cause an odor. The odor will
dissipate if you stop adding food until the worms catch up.
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Providing adequate
oxygen and not too much moisture also minimizes odors.
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If fruit peels are
buried completely, fruit flies will not be attracted to the bin.
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When worms reproduce,
they create matchhead-sized cocoons. Do not disturb them.
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Do not use your worm
bin as a cat litter box, and do not add dog or human manure to the bin.
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Do not be surprised to
see other creatures in your worm bin, as they help break down the organic
material. Most of the organisms will be too small to see, but you may spot
white worms, springtails, pill bugs, molds, mites, and fruit flies.
Large-Scale
Vermicomposting
Vermicomposting can take
place wherever food scraps are generated or delivered. Worm composting bins
can be found in classrooms, apartments, offices, and other commercial
locations. Large-scale worm farms are found in some states, including
California, Rhode Island, and Oregon. Worms even compost the food waste
produced at the Seattle Kingdome stadium. Classrooms and outdoor centers are
especially nice settings for worm composting. Children of all ages enjoy
classroom activities involving worms. Curricular materials for grades 4
through 8 may be found in a 232-page book entitled Worms Eat Our Garbage.
Activities in the book can be used in a multitude of disciplines, including
science, mathematics, geography, language arts (vocabulary, poetry, and
prose), and music.
North Carolina Cooperative
Extension Service
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