Recycling Connections has recently ventured to compost in our own office. How are we doing it? Through unseen warriors: worms!
Why vermicompost?
Vermicomposting is a simple way to divert food waste from the landfill. This method is perfect for apartment living or at the work place. Vermicompost promotes good soil structure making it the perfect additive for gardens and house plants. Come along on our journey to see how we do with vermicomposting!
We approached vermicomposting slowly; however, it was easy to jump into! We started by doing research on everything worms. We used Six Easy Steps to Setting up a Worm Bin and found our way to Lakeshore Vermicomposting to purchase one pound of red wigglers. Everything else has been a breeze!
Here is everything we did to ensure our little friends stay happy and healthy.
1. Setting up the worm bin.
Prior to the arrival of our friends, we sourced two plastic tubs and two small pieces of wood. Using one plastic tub, we drilled 4 drainage holes on the bottom, 12 ventilation holes around the upper half of the tub, and 6 on the lid. Ventilation is important to make sure the worms have access to fresh air. Place the two pieces of wood into the undrilled tub, placing the ventilated tub on top of the two pieces of wood.
2. Prepare the bedding.
We used shredded newspaper for our bedding. We cut newspaper into thin strips and filled the tub to about ¾ of the way full. It is best to avoid extremely dyed pages as they may be harmful to the worms. To provide grit, we also added a few handfuls of soil and mixed it in is with the paper so the soil was evenly distributed in our bin.
3. Adding Moisture
· BEFORE we added the worms, it was especially important to make sure the bedding was moist enough for worms to inhabit. Like any other compost, water is extremely important. Moisture can make or break the bin- if it is too wet the worms can drown and if it is too dry, the worms will dry out too! We found it helpful to keep a spray bottle on hand.
4. Adding the worms.
· Now it’s time for the action. We chose to add Red Wigglers to our bin. Red Wigglers have found to be the most efficient composting worms. This is because they devour food scraps so quickly! We placed the worms into the bedding and fluffed them up for extra ventilation. Removing the top layer, we laid our worms inside along with a banana peel and a few grapes to get them going. We replaced the damp bedding atop the worms and left the lid off of our bin for the first few days. Red wigglers don’t like the light, so keeping a light on while the worms establish themselves in the bin is a good way to keep them inside! When we kept the lid off, we noticed it was especially important to monitor the moisture.
5. Monitoring the Bin
· Worms take a few days to adjust to their new environments, naturally, we had a few casualties. The first day after receiving the worms, we returned to the office to find around ten dried up little worm bodies on the floor. Once the right balance of moisture and food is achieved, the worms will want to stay inside the bin. Make sure to keep the bedding moist and food available.
6. Feeding your Worms
Through our research, we found that a common mistake is overfeeding worms. We are trying our best to avoid that! A good rule of thumb is to search around the worm bin for previously added scraps. If there are lots of scraps, we won’t add anymore. Personally, our worm bin needs only 1-2 pounds of food scraps per week and has around 2 square feet of bedding inside. We recommend having around a pound of food for each square foot of bedding. We are fortunate to have everyone in the office composting at home, so it’s not a big deal if we can’t add our scraps here.
Keeping a log of what and how much is being added to the bin is also helpful. We use a clipboard to keep track. We keep the bedding fluffed so worms have enough air and space to move around to access food. We hope once our worms are established they will spread out just a little bit more!
Feeding our worms, Do’s and Don’ts
What to Feed:
Fruit and veggie scraps
Coffee grounds, tea bags, tea leaves
Cooked rice, oats, corn meal
Grass clippings, leaves
Newspaper, shredded cardboard
Chemical free napkins, paper towels
What NOT to feed:
Fatty or Salty foods
Meat/ Dairy
Citrus Fruit
Onions/ Hot peppers
Broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower (Apparently creates really bad odor)
Odors & Pests
With any food waste, there’s bound to be a little bit of a smell! Vermicomposting is no different. Odor occurs when food scraps begin to break down or the right conditions aren’t being met. Like any compost, it is important to find a good balance of carbon and nitrogen. If compost is smelly, it may be time to add a little carbon. Adding a layer of carbon such as newspaper can help contain smells within the bin.
Not only can a carbon cover keep in smells, it can also keep away pests. Ever forget to chuck a few old apples and discover fruit flies to be taking over your home? Well, the same goes for compost. We surely found a couple of insects in our worm bin… Not to worry though, they help with the breakdown of food waste! If pests bother you, keep a fresh layer of carbon near at all times or put your bin somewhere you don’t always have to look at or pass by.
Will you try vermicomposting? Do you already vermicompost? Show us your worm bins or take us along on your journey! Find us on Facebook and Instagram.
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Written by MaKayla Galecki
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