I had the opportunity to write short radio scripts on environmental issues. Here is one. |
How to Make Worm Compost On average, Americans create 4.5 pounds of municipal solid waste per person per day. Composting your food waste is an easy and effective way to reduce your daily share of waste in local landfills. It is good to know that composting is not just for people with gardens. Any one can start their own vegetable compositing operation - you just need a little help. A little help from some hungry worms. You will need: A bin or container, approximately 16” x 24” x 8” [GFX: a large wooden or plastic bin] Newspaper [GFX: stack of black and white (not colored) newspapers] Soil [GFX: shovelful of good rich soil] Red worms [GFX: adult hand with handful of dirty worms] Food scraps [GFX: eggshells, apple cores/peels, vegetable/fruit waste] Steps: 1. Prepare you bin. If you have a wooden container, line it with plastic. 2. Tear black and white newspaper into 1 inch strips. Wet the strips with water. The strips should be wet but not dripping. Place them in the bin, leaving plenty of pockets and spaces for air and hiding places. 3. Sprinkle soil on the newspaper. 3. Add about two large handfuls of worms to the bin. 4. Bury food scraps in the newspaper. Tip #1: Vegetables and fruit scraps are good food for your worms. Meat and dairy products should not be added to your compost bin. 5. Feed the worms about once a week. Continue to fluff the bedding weekly as well to keep the air flowing. Tip #2: Two large handfuls of worms usually can consume about 3 pounds of food each week. Did You Know? There are 200 species of worms. However, only two species of earthworms are commonly used for compositing. These are Eisenia foetida and Lumbricus rubellus. [GFX: pictures of common redworms] Sources: Municipal Waste Statistics http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/non-hw/muncpl/facts.htm Build a Worm Composter: http://www.nwf.org/backyard/compost.cfm Composting with Redworms http://whatcom.wsu.edu/ag/compost/Redwormsedit.htm |