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How would you like to ship up to 20 percent less waste off
island? Let the worms eat it!
What is a worm bin?
To prevent unwanted odors and pests problems, we suggest that
food wastes and small amounts of paper be composted using a
worm bin. Red worms (Eisenia fetida) can be used to compost
food scraps and paper.
The worms live in a 'worm bin' lined with paper 'bedding' --
you simply bury your food waste in the paper and the worms will
eat all of your food waste. Worms will eat both the
paper and kitchen scraps and excrete worm castings or 'worm
compost'.
Why use a worm bin?
Worm compost is far more potent than compost made from a backyard
pile. There are more nutrients in worm compost, and the nutrients
are in a form that makes them even more readily available to
plants.
Why doesn't this process smell? It is the rotting portions of
food waste that smells. In worm composting, the worms are constantly
eating the rotting portions. As long as you don't put in too
much food for the worms, they will eat the food as it rots.
Therefore, there is no rotting food left to create an odor.
What can and cannot go in the worm bin? With the exception of
large quantities of meat, fish or chicken, almost any food scrap
can go in the worm bin. The three things that should never go
in a worm bin are (1) pet feces, (2) non-biodegradable items,
and (3) large quantities of animal protein.
An
overview of how worm bins work.
You
can build a worm bin out of wood, enhance a plastic tub, or
buy a ready-made unit. But whatever container you choose, it
must:
1. Be dark inside
2. Be sized appropriately for your family (usually that is one
square foot of space for every pound of waste produced per week)
3. Have air holes and drainage.
Once your build your worm bin, you will line it with bedding.
The most common sort of bedding is shredded newspaper. Many
people mix the newspaper with a little bit of coconut fiber
or wood chips - this will add a little bit of porosity, ensuring
that your bin will not turn into a wet oxygen poor environment.
Once you have your bedding lining the bin (about ¾ full), you
can add your first food scraps and the red worms!
At
least every few days, you will want to add food waste to your
bin and make sure that the environment is suitable for worms
(is it too dry? Is there enough bedding?). Whenever it is appropriate,
you will need to change the bedding and harvest your worm compost.
A tip for Alaska worms: Worms are the opposite of us (they eat
less in the winter), if your worms start to get sluggish, place
a low watt light bulb in an old coffee can and place the can
in the center of the bin. This will keep the bin warm enough
to accelerate their eating habits. You may also want to keep
your bin in the garage or basement.
Want
to know more?
Here is a great web link for making your own worm bin: http://dnr.metrokc.gov/swd/ResRecy/composting
/wormbin. shtml
This is a link to buy a pre-made worm bin, including the worms:
http://www.allthingsorganic.com/products_wf.html
Here is a system without the worms: http://www.wormwigwam.com/
This is a link to a place to purchase worms: http://www.happydranch.com/55.html
The best book ever written on worm composting:
Worms Eat My Garbage by Mary Applehof
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