An Indoor Worm Condo that's Fast, Cheap and Good part 2 by MCR Dan K.

A good rule of thumb for any kind of project is that you can't do it fast, cheaply and have a good result. You can have any two out of these three, but not all of them. It's not always true though, especially if the project is simple enough, like a worm bin made from stackable plastic storage containers.

For my fast, cheap and good worm condo, I used three small Trofast containers from IKEA. They're especially good for a worm bin because they have a recessed channel that runs all around the inner edge. Liquids and worms will go in there. A few 1/4" holes drilled in the corners will allow fluid to drain down to the bottom bin. (Don't drill any holes in the bottom bin.)  Holes allow worms and air to move through the bins as well.

Mark where you want to put the holes.

Then drill. Any drill bit with a diameter of about 3-5mm will do, since that's the size of most red wigglers.

The smallest Trofast bins make a very compact worm condo that you could fit under a kitchen sink, and you can easily add more levels to for more volume. It's also an easy bin to pick up and take with you for demos and workshops.
​​

Since these bins are semi-transparent, you may want to keep them in a dark or shaded area, or else cover them.
I also got one of the larger Trofast containers, which has a really nice cover. I didn't pay attention to the measurements when I ordered these online; I thought the bigger bin was only deeper and not wider than the smaller ones. Wrong -- It's actually a totally different size.

I decided to put this large bin outside by our garbage cans with a bit of fresh scraps and compost my worms have been working on since early March.

I topped it off with some dry leaves that were stuck around the border of our small garden.

I can see this being a good place to put our Bokashi compost in the warm months, and any extra fresh stuff when I run out of room in my indoor bins.

The only thing these bins lack, that commercial worm bins often have, is a drain at the bottom. It would be simple to add a base and plastic spigot. Brewing supply stores are a good place to get these. It's even simpler to lift out the upper bins when you periodically "fluff" them and drain the bottom bin by pouring any collected leachate into a watering can for use on your plants.

-All photos provided by Dan K.

---

Dan is a freelance web developer and father of four relatively efficient, non-wasteful young women. Originally from New York, Dan moved to Edmonton in 2016 and joined the MCR Program straightaway to influence peple to let worms eat their garbage. Waste reduction tip: If you can get food and paper out of your trash, you may find you have very little garbage going to the curb every week.

An Indoor Worm Condo That's Fast, Cheap, and Good by MCR Dan K.

I have used a medium-sized indoor "worm condo" for many years. It works very well and holds quite a lot of compost. However, it can't keep pace with the organic waste my family produces, and it's an expensive system -- two additional trays cost about $70.

Worm Factory (c) 3 Tray System by Nature's Footprint

For a bigger and less expensive system that can help us compost our kitchen scraps faster, I'm going to try making a bigger condo from IKEA Trofast storage containers. 

This great idea comes from Jules Yap at IkeaHackers and will cost only $17.50 new for the pieces I need. They are readily available at IKEA in Edmonton and may be found used on Kijiji and your friendly neighborhood garage sale.

Here's what I'm going to use:

• (1) medium-sized, deeper container for the base to catch the leachate. 
• (3) small, shallow containers to stack inside each other above the base container. (More could be added, but three seems like a good start.) Drainage and worm access holes will be drilled in the bottom of each one.
• (1) lid for the topmost container. It's not strictly necessary, but if you don't want an open compost container in your house, a lid is nice.

Screen capture, courtesy IKEA.com

After I get my new worm highrise assembled next to my old condo I'll do a followup post to show how it works out.

---

Dan is a freelance web developer and father of four relatively efficient, non-wasteful young women. Originally from New York, Dan moved to Edmonton in 2016 and joined the MCR Program straightaway to influence peple to let worms eat their garbage. Waste reduction tip: If you can get food and paper out of your trash, you may find you have very little garbage going to the curb every week.

Winter Composting with MCR Terry K.

Winter composting can be tricky in our climate, so we asked MCRs to share their experiences with year-round compost bins. MCR Terry K. details how he composts his organics when the weather turns cold!

---

My winter compost consists of 2 phases. I keep a worm compost indoors, and a traditional bin outdoors.

Worm Compost

The vermicompost bin consists of 2 five-gallon containers, one inserted into the other. The inner container has holes drilled into the bottom as well as into the lid for air. This is home to the worms and where the material gets added. I have placed a spacer in between the buckets, approximately 8 inches high, to keep them separated. This allows compost juice/tea to drain from the inner container to the outer. My house plants love a dose of this juice about once a month!

My worm bin, closed on the left, open in the middle, and on the right, the "compost juice" that drips down into the outer bucket.

The actual composting takes place in the inner container, where my worms turn kitchen scraps into castings. I keep this indoors during winter, and it is doing well! I have a sizable worm population now and plan to transfer some to an open-tub container soon.

I have one batch of completed compost ready for use on my lawn as top dressing in spring. I started to add it but waited too long in the fall. The ground had frozen and I didn’t want it to get washed away at spring thaw. I did add some as seen in the photo, and saved the rest. Part of this compost is in a garbage container and some in a hole I dug into the ground. I hope it is still good/active when I go to use it in the spring! I am still learning, so I will see what happens.

On the left, the initial application of compost as topdressing. On the right, the finished compost being saved for spring.

Outdoor Compost

My outdoor project is in a wooden container, consisting of garden and household organic scraps that was progressing well until I added too much liquid and froze it—it is pretty much dormant now due to the cold weather. There is a layer of tissue paper and coffee filters on top now thanks to the flu that I had last week.

My outdoor bin. On the left, covered up and hibernating! On the right, you can see the top layer of paper and tissue that I added after the freeze. 

Hopefully, when it warms up, I can get this working again and the paper will absorb some of the excess moisture. I may have to use some sort of starting process to get it going again. I will check with Mark, the City's Compost Programs Coordinator, on this.

During the winter, if I have more household scraps than the worms consume, I save them in a large container outdoors for use in spring. I was also saving my pasta water indoors, however that started getting pretty rank so I dumped it on the outdoor pile rather than waste it! That’s when the freeze problem occurred. The worms also seem to enjoy the pasta water.

I made some mistakes preparing for winter. I understand that although the process will slow down in winter it should still be somewhat active with microbes working in the middle of the pile. I hope to gain more information and be better prepared for next winter!

---

I am semi retired from the civil engineering field but continue to work on projects that interest me, especially if travel is involved to a warm climate during our winter.

I enjoy volunteering for worthy causes, most competitive sports, cycling, fishing, and gardening. I am most proud of my tomatoes, which I start from seed in April, then transplant to my garden in late May. I grow most of my own vegetables that I preserve for winter by freezing and more recently fermenting, although I have much to learn about the latter.

That’s me!

MCRs Share More Stories - 2016

Last week, we shared favourite quotes from MCRs, about how they've reached out to friends and family in the past year. Here are some more fantastic stories that have left us feeling inspired to get out there and share our knowledge!

• “I spoke with two co-workers regarding our field trip to the EWMC. They had no idea how big the facility is and the magnitude of all the waste the facility processes during the day.” - Susy S.
• "I revisited the vermicompost I helped a family set up [and] helped [them] set up a larger bin for their worms." - Charlene M.
• "Talked to my boss about helping her set up a backyard composting system!" - Sarah L.
• "Friend has requested help setting up a compost system. They were impressed with how little trash I put out and how I manage that." - Nikki T.
• "10 women out for an evening and the topic comes around to our garbage. It was a noisy and excited room! I love it when people get excited about our garbage!!" - Dianne H.
• "Outreach to 3 different Colombian families interested in composting and recycling. Made compost box with one the the families, got one family vermicomposting and I have plans to start grass cycling for next spring." - Gerardo R.
• "Helped neighbour diagnose issues for poor compost." - Mildred T.
• “After watching my sister throw her coffee grounds into the garbage (gasp!) I helped her set up a compost bin in her backyard.” - Margaret H.
• "Held a mini worm composting workshop with a couple of friends to help them set up worm composting bins." - Sarah E.
• "Presented on sheet composting to my coworkers. Responded to questions throughout the week." - Andreanna M-C.
• "Chatting with a colleague about 90% diversion. I think I convinced him to take his class on a tour of the EWMC!" - Alena M.
• "Advised staff of what some of their co-workers do to reduce waste." - Melissa B.
• “Organized a stuff swap for waste reduction week at work. Collected items, posted, shared, and swapped.” - Trena M.
• “Block party event - Tried to encourage people to bring plates/cup, had the Go Bagless display and some composting stuff.” - Amanda R.
• “I hosted an upcycling party for my friends. I taught them all how to make laptop cases out of old sweaters.” - Sarah T.

We love hearing from MCRs. Did you have a great experience at an event, or a really rewarding conversation with a colleague? We want to know! Email us, share in the comments below, or be sure to make a note when you record your hours.

Read MCRs Share Their Stories - 2016 (Part I)

Confessions of a Worm Killer by MCR Alicia C.

One of the things we learn in the MCR course is that everyone approaches waste in different ways. What works for one person might not work for another. 

Two weeks ago, Trina G. shared her waste space, to show what works in her home. Today, Alicia C. is sharing a bit about her experiences with worm composting to show us that even the greatest intentions don't always lead to the best solution for everyone.

Do you have a waste-space story to share? We want to hear it! Help your fellow MCRs and waste-conscious readers learn from your experience.

---

Over the last four years I’ve tried worm composting twice. And over the last four years I’ve killed a bunch of worms, twice. It’s a good thing that worms aren’t a protected species.

The first time I tried worm composting, I purchased a kit at Earth’s General Store. Those worms lasted a couple of years, although I sure don’t know how! The second time I tried worm composting, I created my own “kit” during one of my Master Composter Recycler (MCR) classes. Those worms lasted less than 2 months.

Conclusion—I suck at worm composting!

The question, however, is whether I should try again. My answer is…no. I think I’ve murdered enough worms to last me at least a decade or so.

I'm sorry, worms!
Photo provided by the City of Edmonton

You might be wondering why an MCR is writing about giving up on worm composting. I'm sharing my story because you shouldn’t be ashamed if you, too, have failed at worm composting. You shouldn’t be pressured or compelled to try again, if it just doesn't work for you.

Worm composting is great, if you have the lifestyle which allows it to be successful. But if you don’t have the time or skills, it doesn’t mean you care any less about waste management or the environment.

Even though I’ve decided not to try again, my analytical brain has been wondering why I’m not successful and I think I've figured out why. I suck at worm composting because...

I hate to cook!

Because I hate to cook, I rarely cook. And when I do, it’s usually not a complicated dish with a lot of ingredients. It's something simple, like toast, grilled cheese, Kraft dinner, etc.

Cooking usually means some sort of scraps, like the top from a carrot, the skin of a cucumber, or the peels from a potato. Not cooking means you don’t have any of these things. Making a bowl of cereal or a couple of slices of toast usually doesn’t create scraps. Nor does eating take-out food, unless you don’t finish your meal. Even then, only some of the unfinished items would be compostable in a worm bin.

I’m also a single person who lives on her own, and the food scraps I do create are not always appropriate for a worm bin. For example, a couple of months ago I bought a “box” (yes, a box) of naval oranges at Costco. I can’t remember exactly how many oranges were in the box, but let’s assume at least 20. As the only one who would be eating these oranges, and not wanting them to go bad, I usually ate 2 a day. This created a LOT of orange peel scraps. If you know anything about composting, especially on a small scale, you know that balance is key. Strong foods (like citrus scraps) should be limited in a worm bin, too. Putting 20 oranges' worth of peels in a worm compost is not a good idea.

I want to point out that I didn’t kill my worms with orange peels. I knew I couldn’t put ALL of them in the bin, so instead I researched what else I could do with them. There’s actually quite a lot you can do with orange, lemon and lime peels. (More on that in a future post!) But because I didn’t have any other appropriate scraps to put in the worm compost bin, the worms went without much food. And worms, apparently, can starve!

If you don't cook much, like me, you too will likely find worm composting difficult. And since it’s unlikely that I’m suddenly going to develop an intense need to become a chef, it’s probably best I let the worms live with someone who can actually feed them.

I guess the worms didn't finish breaking down all the tomato seeds in the bin.
Photo provided by Alicia C.

My story isn't all tragic, and even has a funny ending. The first worm composting kit I bought came with a large Rubbermaid bin and soil as a place for the worms to live. Last summer, since the worms were dead, I dumped the soil from the bin into one of my gardens. This year I have 3 tomato plants growing in that same garden, which I did not plant! Ironically, I usually kill the tomato plants I buy, yet these ones appear to be thriving.

The Rubbermaid bin was also re-purposed as a litter box for my cats. The worms may have been sacrificed, but at least I’ll have fresh tomatoes, and my cats have a decent-sized litter box. I guess we can consider that the circle of life!

---

Pippin, one beneficiary of the nice, big, new litter box!
Photo provided by Alicia C.

Alicia Cappello is a graduate of the 2016 class of Master Composter Recyclers. She lives in Edmonton with her 5 cats and is currently a graduate student at the University of Alberta studying Humanities Computing and Library & Information Studies.

Worms at Work by MCR Trina G.

Photo Credit via coastaldigest.com

“Can I feed the worms?” a co-worker asked me as I was digging around in their little home in the kitchen.

“Sure, whatcha got?” I asked.

“An apple core,” he tentatively offered to my wiggling wormies, “will they eat that?”

Yes, yes, yes they will!  So my co-worker got to feed the worms.  You would swear I’d given him a gift from the look on his face.

The truth is I had given him a gift - a bit of education on vermicomposting.  He, among others around the office, ask constantly how the worms are doing.  

My confession: these are my best-kept secret at the office.  I keep a small container of worms under my desk, feeding them offerings from the coffee machine and from co-workers once every two weeks. How did I accomplish it?

Getting everyone on board

• I informed everyone I was going to be bringing in a small, unobtrusive tub for composting in the office and answered any questions my co-workers had.  (Will they crawl out? No. Will it stink? Not if I do it right.) For those who don’t like worms, I don’t pull out the bin around them.
• I assured my co-workers that even though they were contributing, they would not have any responsibility other than finding a home for the compost at the end of the process.
• I put a well-labelled ice cream pail in the kitchen, detailing what can be fed to the worms.

Keeping everyone happy

• I empty the pail regularly.
• I invite people who want to feed the worms into the kitchen to help me fluff the bin.
• I feed the worms in the kitchen and clean well afterward.
• After I had some compost built up, I found out when the green thumbs on my floor were going to transplant or add soil to their plants and did a harvest right then for them.
• When I was done harvesting, I asked others if they wanted the extra compost. We buried a bit in their soil right then.
• I talked to those who took compost a few weeks later and asked if they saw the difference in their plants. Many did! That improvement convinced them of the value of compost.

Keeping my compost in the office has been a great experience, but it does take work. What are my keys to success with having wiggly worms in the office? 

B-SET

• Building relationships with my colleagues first and foremost.
• Starting conversations prior to bringing in the worms, answering questions.
• Encouraging participation.
• Thanking them with compost!

---

Trina graduated from the MCR program in May 2014 and is dedicated to helping others reduce their waste footprint through fun and creative methods. Her goal as an MCR is to educate others, help them find solutions for waste issues that are important to them and encourage them to take action!

City Hall Compost

After 5 years of operations, the City Hall Compost has officially closed.

Goodnight, sweet prince

In the Spring of 2009, an enthusiastic employee at City Hall approached Waste Management Services with a great idea. She asked for advice about setting up vermicomposting at her building.  It was a great initiative, and we agreed to provide support and act as consultants.

After months of planning and coordination, the City Hall officially started worm composting in late 2009.

Staff at City Hall set aside food scraps in buckets at their office kitchens. Custodial staff were crucial to the compost operations as they collected the food scraps and delivered it to the compost (instead of the garbage). They deserve special recognition for their efforts.

The City Hall Compost became an important educational tool showcasing one method of composting for a building. Students with City Hall School regularly visited the system to learn about composting and see the bin in action. Twice, students (and Councillors) also helped harvest the finished compost.

The City Hall Compost was open for viewing. We know that many visitors stopped by the system to see how it worked. Some were Edmonton residents, but visitors also came from across Canada and around the world. Folks at the Information Centre provided a one-page fact sheet about the City Hall Compost.

Mark, with kids from City Hall School

Composting for a full building presented many challenges along the way. So the City Hall Compost became a strong learning experience.

The system started as a single worm bin. City Hall allocated space for the bin, and Waste Management Services created storage for tools and space for an on-going supply of "browns" (mostly bags of dried leaves). Security was consulted to ensure it was a safe space for visitors and volunteers.

The worm bin system could not handle the volume of food waste, especially in those early days. So we had to resolve problems with smells and critters.

A tumbler was added in 2011. Tumblers are generally designed for outdoors, but this was added as a first-stage of composting the food scraps. Once the tumbler was full, the semi-processed waste was moved to the worm bin to be finished. This two-stage system produced excellent finished compost.

We found that the tumbler was always damp, despite best efforts. The enclosed chamber had few vents for air and the location didn't get outdoor drafts that would reduce moisture. Gnats (Sciaridae) seemed to love it. Adding browns, browns, and more browns was the best solution.

Collecting the food scraps was an interesting hurdle. Mark found crafty ways to make it easier and easier for custodial staff to collect food scraps and deliver them to the City Hall Compost. This was an important step, as this task was outside of their usual routine.

• Composting at City Hall (2009)
• The First Harvest (2010)

Master Composter Recyclers played an important role maintaining the City Hall Compost. Volunteers regularly visited the site to keep it active and tended. MCRs also kept it clean and inviting. Since 2009, 26 MCRs have volunteered over 220 hours to tidy, tumble, feed, water, and harvest the compost.

City Hall Compost's successes are largely due to the volunteering of MCRs. We all appreciate the enthusiasm and commitment MCRs brought to this project.

Operating any composting system means addressing myths about composting (e.g. odours, goo, critters). We reach everyone according to their interests and perceptions, and demonstrate the process of active composting and the success of finished compost.

Staff at City Hall decided in January 2015 that the City Hall Compost no longer fit their needs. The folks who started this project and championed it to other staff have since moved on. Waste Management Services - and MCRs - have diligently addressed issues as they came up, but City Hall staff had on-going concerns about gnats and fruit flies. The decision was made to remove the City Hall Compost.

We are sad that the project has ended, but the City Hall Compost was an good all-round learning experience. Waste Management Services looks for new sites to demonstrate composting. Stay tuned!

- Rodney Al, MCR Program Coordinator
  Waste Management Services, City of Edmonton

The Story of my Worm Bin - by MCR Chandni K.

We humans have long known and appreciated the value of earthworms, and not just as fish bait! The ancient Chinese called them angels of the soil , Aristotle famously called them the “intestines of the earth”  and the most famous naturalist of all time, Charles Darwin observed, “It may be doubted that there are many other animals which have played so important a part in the history of the world as have these lowly organized creatures”.

Worm composting in India

Growing up, I recall seeing small, distinctive clusters on the ground and knowing that they signified the presence of earthworms and rich, plant friendly soil.

As an adult, an organization called Zero Waste Kovalam taught me that some varieties of earthworms could be used to compost household food waste quickly and efficiently. I was very excited, and wished to start at once! Eisenia fetida, also known as red wigglers, eat about half of their weight in food every day. This definitely sounded like a way to fast track the process.

Worm castings on the ground

I started my bin in an earthenware pot. It's natural pores allow air exchange, and keep things cool even in the Indian summer.  The state of Kerala, where I lived, is a veritable paradise for insects and we had really aggressive red ants that considered earthworms a tasty snack. To keep my worms safe, I had to build a moat around the pot and remember to fill it with water regularly.

I watched my worms thrive on dry leaves (courtesy of the constantly shedding mango tree in my backyard) and food waste from the house. All was right with the world for a few weeks; the worms loved their food and I loved seeing their numbers grow…

A worm bin constructed
from mud

Alas, this love story ended rather abruptly as tragedy struck!

One day I was careless enough to leave my gardening hose touching the pot. It gave the red ants the perfect bridge across the moat to reach my precious little pets. It was carnage all around as thousands of these voracious ants came and devoured the worms, leaving me emotionally scarred. After this heart rending experience, I did not attempt worm composting in India again.

A second attempt in Canada

Fast forward to the spring of 2014. I joined a group of volunteers with the City of Edmonton called the Master Composter Recyclers, who found worms and waste as fascinating as I did. It was at once exciting, empowering and enriching. I was thrilled the day I got those seven or eight worms to start my very own worm bin. I was being given a second chance! I wasn't afraid; the few Canadian ants I had encountered minded their own business and seemed rather docile and mild.

I was as excited as a child with a new toy. After checking my new worm bin for the umpteenth time, I realised that just like everything else in life, patience was needed. My worms would need time and nurturing to turn into teeming millions that would demolish every scrap of food waste that my household produced!

After months of gently moistening, occasional feeding and generally keeping a benevolent eye on them, the worms suddenly flourished, with so many eggs and small worms hatching. It was time to upgrade to roomier quarters with better blackout facilities and better air-conditioning!

I found a plastic tote on sale and enlisted my son's help to drill air holes while I gathered supplies. I wanted my worms to be really comfortable.  Like all new generation kids and pets, they would  have a choice of bedding (newspaper, dry leaves, cardboard) as well as grit (egg shells, soil). Food choices have always been plenty in our house and I was not worried the worms would be dissatisfied with my offerings.

I was rather proud of my nice, clean, new blue box. I knew that if I kept it out of the way I might not use it as much as I should, so I placed the box next to the guest washroom. I declared confidently that none of our visitors would ever guess that this innocuous little box contained creepy crawlies. Reconciled as they are to my eccentricities, no one in my family objected to this plan.

I let the worms have a few days to get used to their new quarters before introducing fresh food. With this larger box I had more room to add food and every day, I religiously buried all the scraps (which were quite a lot) in various sections of the bin. I guess like many first timers, I got a little carried away.

Avoiding another disaster

I started noticing fruit flies in the house, and to my horror, the worm bin was the source of the wildlife. A look below the bedding revealed pools of foul smelling liquid in the corners and crevices of the box, and so much decaying food. I needed to dry the bin out fast, but I was unwilling to drill drainage holes in the bottom of the box. Apart from negatively impacting my living room décor, I feared my toddler would find the leachate irresistible.

The whole area smelled a bit like a rubbish heap, and I had to do something before the complaints came my way. Absorbent browns would soak up the water and the smell, but I didn't think the newspapers and leaves I'd added would quite cut it. My eyes lit upon the stack of egg cartons I'd been saving for the Reuse Centre.

I tore up them into small bits and buried them right at the bottom to soak up the excess moisture. Some worms had climbed the walls and I wasn't sure if it was to escape the liquid or to get more air, so I left the lid loose to encourage airflow. I also stopped adding food for a few weeks.

Contents after a couple of months

The next time I checked, the worms seemed much better. They weren't exactly smiling, but their body language suggested to me that their happiness quotient was really high. They seemed to really like the egg cartons, and loved my used tea leaves.

I was a little disappointed that I would still have to rely on my outdoor composter for most of my food waste. I had seriously thought that in a couple of months my worm bin would handle it all. Instead, I had learnt my lesson about overfeeding.


Patience pays off

Six months down the line, there is a lot of finished, fine looking compost in my bin. Time to harvest and free up more space for the worms, which have really gone forward and multiplied.

I gently moved all the material to one half of the bin and started the other half with fresh bedding and food. After a few weeks, even the clingiest of the worms will migrate to newer and greener pastures, and I'll be able to scoop out my lovely compost from the older side.

For now the future looks bright and wormy!

My next project will be a tiered structure that will allow the worms to migrate up to fresh food and bedding, which will make for an easier harvest. I do have a few old buckets lined up for the job, but that will be another experiment and another article…

If you wish to embark on a wormy adventure like mine just remember you can start your own bin with less than ten worms and an old plastic bin. All it takes is some care and patience.

Disclaimer: The characters and places in this story are real enough. However artistic license and hyperbole may have been used to help the tale along.

___

I have been an MCR since May 2014. I am committed to helping our society move towards more resource recovery and less waste. I'm excited about all the volunteering opportunities as an MCR and look forward to participating in every kind of activity available. I especially enjoy worm composting, composting and finding safer/wasteless alternatives for products we use in our daily lives.

Compost Crafts - One-Way Worm Elevator By Megan Miller, MCRP 2012

With winter well on its way, and our outdoor compost heap nearly frozen through already, we decided to give our worms a bit more attention. Winter composting outdoors is slow, and while we'll probably still toss quite a bit of kitchen scraps on the pile over the winter, I really want to shift into using indoor compost methods. And that means getting our worms working a bit harder.

Of course, we could hardly expect them to increase their workload under their current living conditions. Nope, these guys need a new home, and I need an easier way to harvest their precious poop. (Ahem. Excrement ) It also needed to be something I could complete in less than an hour.

The One-Way Worm Elevator is born!

The idea is that by stacking containers, one with food, one without, the worms will migrate to the bucket with food in it, and away from the finished compost.

To be fair, I got this idea from a friend, who used much bigger containers, and made three layers, which I'll explain later. Hers is a Luxury Condo for worms. Here's how we made our mid-range version:

1. First, gather all your tools and supplies:

Two nesting buckets, a drill, drill bit and a Lovely Assistant. (Hey, you didn't expect me to operate a drill AND take pictures, did you?)

2. Stack your buckets and start drilling holes in the bottom of the top bucket:

Our bucket looks like this:

3. Make some nice worm bedding for the bottom bucket.

Here, we're ripping up newsprint for “browns,” we also threw in a sprinkle of sand, a handful of garden dirt, and some vegetable peels:

4. Get out your hungry worms. 

I had stopped feeding them a week earlier, hoping to finish off the compost. As you can see there are still plenty of big chunks left, meaning plenty to eat. Regardless, we plowed on with the plan, hopeful.

5. Stack the buckets (the one with holes on TOP!) and dump in your worms:

6. Put on a lid and you're done!

We also drilled holes in the lid, of course, so the worms and compost can both breathe. Making sure enough air can circulate is very important, especially for keeping away smells.

Getting the Compost

In time, the worms will migrate to the bottom bucket, leaving the top one empty of critters. When this happens, the top bucket (finished compost) can be removed and used for compost teas, as fertilizer or mulch for houseplants, lawn conditioner, anywhere you want nutrients in the soil.

After emptying the top bucket, we will take the bottom layer and move it to the top. Holes on top and bottom provide great circulation and the empty bottom bucket can catch any excess moisture drips.

When it looks almost done, we stop feeding the top and bait the bottom bucket, starting over again. This should allow me to continuously add food waste to the worms, and still make harvesting easy-peasy.
A friend of ours has made a three tier tower, with a second bucket with holes. Same idea, rotating fresh and almost-done compost between the top two, but with improved air flow in the middle layer and a bottom bucket to catch excess moisture (which, by the way is an amazing liquid fertilizer).

We did not, however, put on a lid.

Now, remember, the whole point of this craft is to allow the worms to migrate, so that no one has to pick through the finished compost and harvesting becomes easy and guilt-free.

My Lovely Assistant, however, seems to believe our worms need a head start on migration. It started out innocently enough, picking out a few big ones...

But quickly turned into a more serious matter.

Happy winter composting!

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Megan Miller is a 2012 grad of the MCR Course. Megan is very interested in re-skilling for sustainability and a large part of that is growing, harvesting and processing her own food. She has also been learning other living skills including leather crafting for clothing, soap making, and sustainable building. Megan and her family have been experimenting with composting for four years.

Worm Bins in the Classroom by Alyson Winkelaar

Here in the Community Relations section (of Waste Management Services), we are gearing up for another school year. With presentations such as Waste and Our World, Choose to Reuse, Squirmy Wormy Composting, and Garbage In-CompostOut, we reached over 3000 students and teachers during the 2011/2012 year.

Squirmy Wormy Composting presentations

With these presentations, we brought the wonderful world of worm composting to nearly 100 classrooms last year, alone.  During the presentation, students are taught how red-wiggler worms can help us with the fundamentals of waste management: the 3 Rs. Much of the food waste that comes from our kitchens and lunches can be Reused as a food source for our red-wiggler worms, helping us Reduce the amount of waste we throw away every day. By munching and digesting, the worms Recycle our food waste into high quality compost that can be added to our potted plants and garden beds. The students are taught how to care for the worms. They learn that worms will thrive with the right balance of moisture, air, food, and shelter.
Most times, we leave a small worm bin behind. It is stocked with worms and bedding material so the students can enjoy the benefits of compositing, right in their classroom.

How We Can Improve

One thing we want to improve is support for the worm bins that we leave behind. Every once in a while, we get a panicked call for help from a teacher whose worm bin has turned into a smelly bog, the worms are desperately clinging to the sides or trying to climb out, and food is sloshing around the bottom. Of course, that's if any worms can be found at all! We worry that, when things go wrong, teachers will just throw out their worm bin...  rather than ask for help. We want to support teachers, so they have a good experience with worm composting. 

How MCRs Can Get Involved

We are looking for volunteers to help with our School Worm Team.  Lots of Master Composters Recyclers have agreed to be a Compost Doctor (making house calls to assess someone's backyard compost bin). The School Worm Team is Compost Doctoring at its finest!  Volunteers will be matched with schools in their area that have recently had a Squirmy Wormy Compost presentation.  MCRs will contact the teacher two or three weeks after the presentation to see how things are going with their worm bin.  If help is needed, either advice over the phone or a quick visit with the teacher will help put their worm bin back on track. 

This new grassroots School Worm Team initiative is important because it is neighbours helping neighbours. We would love to revisit schools and see thriving worm compost bins in the classrooms that are actually being used to help reduce the amount of waste being thrown out at schools throughout Edmonton. This is a super simple way to volunteer and get to know your local schools at the same time!

Sign up for the School Worm Team at myVolunteerpage.com. 

Alyson is a Program Specialist and has worked for the City of Edmonton (Waste Management Services) since fall, 2011. She already delivered 3 presentations for the school year and is excited to do many more. Alyson became a Master Composter Recycler in 2012. Outside of the world of waste, she is an accomplished dog trainer.

Soft autonomous earthworm robot at MIT

But what will happen when they escape into natural areas?