Recycle Kitchen Wastes Using a Home Worm Bin

Recycling your kitchen wastes using a home worm bin is an easy,
ecologically sound way to dispose of kitchen wastes. Just think
about how much water is used every day when you wash garbage
down the garbage disposal in your sink! 

Besides saving water, a worm bin produces an organic compost
that can be used instead of chemical fertilizers in your garden
and on your house plants. This is a fun and educational activity
for youngsters. They will learn something about the biology of
worms and also the importance of reusing and recycling to
preserve resources.

Here are 10 easy steps to setting up your worm bin:

1.Select a container to house your worms. Both wooden boxes and
plastic storage bins work well. 2.Determine what size you need
based on the amount of waste you generate per week. An average
household of 4 creates 6 lbs of food waste per week. They would
need a 6 sq ft bin. (2’ x 3’). Keeping your container fairly
shallow 12”-18” helps keep the bedding from compacting and makes
it easier to handle. 3.Your bin should also have a lid to keep
predators out and protect your worms from exposure to light and
sudden temperature changes. 4.Drill some holes about 1/8”
diameter and about 4” apart in the sides and bottom to provide
air circulation and good drainage. 5.If you keep your bin
indoors, set it up on blocks and place a tray or thick layer of
newspapers under it to catch any excess moisture that may drain
out of the bottom.. 6.Add damp bedding to the bin. Strips of old
newspaper, shredded paper, leaves, or peat moss all work well.
Use what you have. Make the bedding about 6” deep. 7.Add the
food waste. You can add the food in piles or spread it out into
a shallow layer. But cover it with about another 2” of damp
bedding. Worms will eat anything that has once been alive
including paper. Vegetable scraps, spoiled leftovers from the
fridge, cereal, fruit rinds, coffee grounds (including the paper
filters), and stale bread all make great worm food. Don’t feed
raw meat, dairy products, or pet feces. 8.Each time you add
food, stir the bedding up to loosen it and keep it from becoming
packed down. It is important to keep the air circulating to
allow the rotting process plenty of oxygen. If your bin gets
stinky the food is not getting enough air as it decomposes.
Frequent stirring will prevent this. Always cover the food with
additional damp bedding. 9.You may need to add moisture from
time to time in addition to the food. Never let the bedding dry
out. Sprinkle lightly with water. Fruit juice is even better. If
the bin is too dry, the food will stop rotting and the worms
will not be able to eat it. 10.Place your worms into the worm
bin. Be sure to dump in all of the old vermicompost that came
with your worms. This compost material contains lots of
micro-organisms that your bin needs to help keep the wastes
decomposing so the worms can eat it.

The process is fairly slow at first. You won’t see much change
from day to day. The worms will grow if you provide the basics:
Moist dark environment Rotting Food (kitchen wastes) Bedding to
allow air circulation Stable temperature between 60-75 degrees
inside the bin.

You can learn more about your home worm bin or order Red Wiggler
Worms at our web site: http://www.wormlady.com