Who wants some free worm poop byproduct?
Cathy Nesbitt hopes the idea of using worms to produce compost from waste will catch on with the public and become a fundraising source for schools and other organizations.
Cathy's Crawly Composters will be here next Wednesday (Oct. 17) at a downtown office building at Brant and Elgin streets to unveil the work of thousands of worms. The Bradford, Ont. resident is having a worm-harvest party at 390 Brant St. at noon as part of Waste Reduction Week (Oct. 15-21).
Believing red wiggler worms are going to play an increasing role in waste management, Nesbitt utilizes the squirmy earth burrowers to break down food scraps and paper into nutrient-rich compost.
In June of this year she placed two bins, each about the size of a residential blue box, inside a commercial office building downtown. About a kilogram of worms, approximately 1,600-2,000, were placed in each container and fed food scraps and shredded paper by some of the building's tenants. Now it's time to reap the harvest.
Although the newly-created compost will be too raw to give away on site, Nesbitt said pre-rolled worm casting balls will be distributed to the public. "They're about the size of a ping pong ball. You drop it into a watering jug and its diffuses in the water," providing extra nutrients to plants and flowers, she said.
She doesn't have any other worm composting sites in Burlington but plans to keep the downtown site going and hopes to convince local community groups to take up the cause elsewhere to benefit the Earth and themselves. She said worm castings can be used by schools to raise funds and educate students about waste management and soil production. She believes one bin of worms could produce 200-300 compost balls every 3-4 months at a retail cost of $2 each.
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