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We’ve all heard of the three R’s —
reduce, reuse, and recycle — but many people have added a fourth R:
rot, the recycling of food waste and other organic material through
composting or vermicomposting. When these products are allowed to rot into
compost, they are cycled back to the earth, thereby keeping waste from
going into landfills.
Organic materials are the largest component of
municipal soil waste, says the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Yard
trimmings and food scraps account for 25 percent of waste. Most of us are
familiar with the recycling of plastic, aluminum, metal, paper goods, and
glass, but few consider composting as a way to reduce waste. In addition to
keeping valuable nutrients from ending up as garbage in a landfill,
composting results in rich humus, which is a great fertilizer for plants.
Yard and food waste can be recycled in a backyard
compost bin, but there’s also vermicomposting, the process of using
worms to eat decaying food waste and produce vermicompost (worm poop, also
called worm castings), a nutrient-rich soil amendment.
Worms, nature’s best composters, are
fascinating creatures, and most vermicomposters will admit that their worms
are pets. They’re quiet, well-behaved, and don’t require
regular feeding, and you don’t need a worm-sitter when you go on
vacation. The worms are kept in a bin with shredded paper and fed food
waste. Because worms are happiest at temperatures between 55 and 77
degrees, bins are usually kept indoors, but they can be placed outdoors if
they won’t get too hot or too cold.
Done correctly, vermicomposting is simple, clean, and
odorless. Here are a few tips for starting a worm bin.
The most common worm used for vermicomposting is Eisenia foetida, commonly
called the redworm, red wiggler, or brandling worm. Redworms reproduce
quickly in captivity, whereas nightcrawlers and earthworms from garden soil
will not survive in captivity. You can get worms from fellow vermicompost
enthusiast or a local supplier.
So what’s on the menu for your redworms? They
eat all kinds of food and yard wastes, including vegetable and fruit
peelings, coffee grounds, and tea bags. Clean, crushed eggshells add grit
and calcium for the worms. Avoid bones, dairy products, meats, garlic,
onion, spicy foods, oily foods, and domestic-animal manure. Although the
worms will eat most of these products, they shouldn’t be added to the
bin because they will smell. Under ideal conditions, redworms can eat half
to all their weight in food scraps and bedding each day.
Bedding for bins can be made of shredded newspaper
(nonglossy, noncolored), paper, and cardboard. The bedding needs to be
moist, as damp as a wrung-out sponge. Add food wastes to the bin by burying
the waste under about 3 inches of bedding. Continue adding food scraps for
two to three months or until you notice that the bedding material has
disappeared. This is when the vermicompost may be harvested.
Many types of containers will work as long as they
will provide darkness, warmth, and shelter for the worms, but the best
material is wood or plastic. Plastic containers tend to be easier to
maintain and less messy, but plastic may keep the compost too moist. Wood
is more absorbent and a better insulator for the worms but is heavier and
more expensive. A 12-gallon storage tub no more than 12 inches deep is
ideal. This size of bin will hold about 1 pound of worms, about 1,000. This
number of worms can eat about a half-pound of food scraps per day.
There are many great sources of information about vermicomposting. One popular book is Mary Applehof’s Worms Eat My Garbage, or go to the Shedd Aquarium’s online worm guide at www.sheddaquarium.org/pdf/shedd_worm_brochure1.pdf or the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension’s “Vermicomposting”Web site at
lancaster.unl.edu/pest/resources/vermicompost107.shtml.
The University of Illinois Extension Sangamon-Menard Unit is wrapping up the completion of its compost demonstration area. Master gardeners invite you to join them as they begin construction of two compost bins at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, May 29. The program will be held in front of the U of I Extension Building, on the Illinois State Fairgrounds. A materials list and directions for building a compost bin will be provided. For more information, go to the extension Web site “Composting for the Homeowner” (web.extension.uiuc.edu/homecompost) or call 217-782-4617.
Jennifer Fishburn is a horticulture educator with the University of Illinois Extension Sangamon-Menard Unit. Contact her at fishburn@uiuc.edu.
There are many great sources of information about vermicomposting. One popular book is Mary Applehof’s Worms Eat My Garbage, or go to the Shedd Aquarium’s online worm guide at www.sheddaquarium.org/pdf/shedd_worm_brochure1.pdf or the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension’s “Vermicomposting”Web site at
lancaster.unl.edu/pest/resources/vermicompost107.shtml.
The University of Illinois Extension Sangamon-Menard Unit is wrapping up the completion of its compost demonstration area. Master gardeners invite you to join them as they begin construction of two compost bins at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, May 29. The program will be held in front of the U of I Extension Building, on the Illinois State Fairgrounds. A materials list and directions for building a compost bin will be provided. For more information, go to the extension Web site “Composting for the Homeowner” (web.extension.uiuc.edu/homecompost) or call 217-782-4617.
Jennifer Fishburn is a horticulture educator with the University of Illinois Extension Sangamon-Menard Unit. Contact her at fishburn@uiuc.edu.
