Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Worms


By Alex Johnson

I have worms, but it's not what you think. A few months ago I decided to start vermicomposting, which is really just a fancy word for composting with worms. I can't remember where I originally found out about vermicomposting, but I've been at it for a few months and have learned a lot along the way. People always have questions about how it works, so I'll tell you a little bit about the process. First, a story:
In 1999, the Medical University of South Carolina built a worm composting system to recycle food waste from their cafeteria. The facility, which is the size of a small bus and filled with worms, can process 250 pounds of food waste in a day (that's over 30 tons in an academic year). Banana peels, egg shells and half-eaten hamburgers go in and high-quality vermicompost (worm poop) comes out.
Composting is nature's way of recycling. You might not be aware of it, but it's happening all around you. An apple core thrown into the brush will break down very quickly. Come spring, you'll hardly recognize the leaves that fell in autumn. Many organisms aid in the process of decomposition, but one of the most helpful is the redworm. Its tendency to live in heaps of decaying material like leaves and manure and its voracious appetite make it ideal for composting food scraps.
There are many good reasons to give vermicomposting a try. You can do it in a small area (unlike conventional composting), vermicompost is great for gardens and house plants, and it keeps recyclable materials out of landfills.
I'll be the first to admit that there's nothing particularly normal about keeping several thousand worms to compost food waste - my friends have taken to calling me 'the worm whisperer' - but it doesn't necessarily have to be a counterculture experience. All you need is a container and worms. Add damp, torn-up newspaper and some food scraps and you'll be producing your own vermicompost. Perhaps someday Lewis & Clark will follow the lead of MUSC and compost all of our food waste on-site, but until then, you ought to give it a try yourself. It's amazing how passionate you can become about a creature whose anus looks exactly like its mouth.

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