Profile of a Vermicomposter

Looking for a way to compost food scraps that avoids the trek to the outdoor bin? Live in an apartment? Want some quiet, low-maintenance pets? Needing some slow-release organic fertilizer for your plants? Got a fishing enthusiast in the family? Pondering ways to bring some well-behaved critters into the classroom? Vermicomposting may be the answer.

Vermicomposting is a way to recycle food scraps indoors into a great soil amendment with the help of earthworms. The worms used in vermicomposting systems are called redworms or red wigglers (Eisenia fetida). Red wigglers don't survive freezing and prefer to live at temperatures. between 16-27 C. They are the same type of worms that are sold to fisherman to use as live bait. The worms are housed in bins with lids. Food scraps are tucked in under bedding made from materials such as strips of wet newsprint and potting soil.

Despite the fact that a clump of wriggling worms can make some people feel a little squeamish, an increasing number of people in the province are setting up systems in their homes and classrooms. Humboldt's Wayne Schidlowsky is one of the people helping them get started. Wayne is a recently retired teacher. Over the past few years he has become known as Humboldt's vermicomposting expert. Until retirement, Wayne was the vice-principle of St. Dominic School, which has students from kindergarten to Grade 8. His teaching specialties were computers, art and math, so his current worm expertise seems a little unexpected. Wayne explains that he discovered vermicomposting when students demonstrated this type of composting at a science fair. He was intrigued and decided to set up a worm bin at home.

These days, Wayne runs a home-based worm supply service for Earthcare Connections, an environmental organization based in Humboldt. Earthcare staff had been trying to operate a large enough vermicomposting operation in their small office to be able to supply starter worms to interested people. Wayne offered to take on the role about three years ago. He keeps three bins going over the winter and then moves the operation to his garage for the summer so that he can accommodate nine. The bins he uses are modified 37-litre Rubbermaid lidded containers. These stack well, so he doesn't have to give up too much floor space in the garage.

For $25, Wayne supplies interested people with a kit that is ready to use: a bin with air holes, bedding, and a starter set of worms. The bins have four air holes per side, three quarters of an inch in diameter. Wayne does not put screen covers on these air holes because he has not experienced any problems with fungus flies. For those starting on their own, he suggests a bedding mix of equal parts of potting soil and damped newsprint strips, along with a few handfuls of peat moss.

Wayne's art and education background are also part of the vermicomposting picture. He has made a display to take to events like the local children's festival. People like Wayne make a great difference in their community by quietly helping people turn wastes into resources.

To contact Wayne, call 306-682-3845 or email wdschidlowsky@sasktel.net

(Source: WasteWatch)

Back to Composting main page

Back to Resources main page

Back to Home page