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Basic Composting with Worms Klickitat County Solid Waste in cooperation with The Washington State Department of Ecology ---PAGE BREAK--- Composting is about making an environment that will encourage growth of the Agents of Decay. Break down waste at the molecular level by microbes which include . . . z Bacteria z Mold z Fungi z Actinomycetes z Protozoa Break up waste into smaller particles and transport of microbes by insects and small animals. z Mites z Millipedes z Sowbug z Worms z Snails Agents of CHEMICAL DECAY Agents of PHYSICAL DECAY ---PAGE BREAK--- Food Web of Compost ---PAGE BREAK--- Balanced Carbon/Nitrogen Ratio Microbes need about 30 parts carbon to one part nitrogen in their diet. z Carbon is a source of energy for the microbes • About 2/3 of available carbon is used for energy z Carbon and Nitrogen become part of the microbe cell structure • This is how nitrogen is stabilized in compost ---PAGE BREAK--- Moisture Microbe activity occurs in a thin liquid film on the surface of particles. Optimum: 40-60% moisture Too dry will stop activity. Too wet will block air and leach nutrients. ---PAGE BREAK--- Surface Area and Particle Size A 10x10x10 inch cube has 600 square inches of surface area. If you chop the cube up into 1 inch cubes you end up with 6,000 square inches of surface area. ---PAGE BREAK--- Worm Bins Work best for food waste Buried Waste Type Bin Flow-Thru Type Bin ---PAGE BREAK--- Buried Waste Type Bin In a buried waste type bin you fill the box with a neutral bedding material like shredded paper. You then bury the food waste in pockets. The worms and microbes will follow the food around the bin. Flow-Thru Type Bin In a flow-thru type bin there is an upper chamber and a lower chamber. Food waste and neutral bedding are placed in alternating layers on the surface. When the lower chamber is full waste is then placed in the top chamber. Worms and microbes keep working toward the top and will follow the food waste into the top chamber. The lower chamber can then be removed and harvested of mostly finished worm castings. ---PAGE BREAK--- Sequence of Decay On the following pages you will see photos from a worm bin taken over a period of 21 days. ---PAGE BREAK--- Day 1: June 21 Coffee Filters Apple Shredded Office Paper ---PAGE BREAK--- Day 1: June 21 Office Paper ---PAGE BREAK--- Day 4: June 24 Worms Mold or actinomycete Castings ---PAGE BREAK--- Day 5: June 25th ---PAGE BREAK--- Day 5: June 25th Castings Actinomycetes ---PAGE BREAK--- Day 6: June 26th ---PAGE BREAK--- Day 7: June 27th ---PAGE BREAK--- Day 7: June 27th ---PAGE BREAK--- Day 11: July 1st ---PAGE BREAK--- Day 12: July 2nd ---PAGE BREAK--- Day 13: July 3rd ---PAGE BREAK--- Day 18: July 8th ---PAGE BREAK--- Day 18: July 8th ---PAGE BREAK--- Day 18: July 8th ---PAGE BREAK--- Day 21: July 11 ---PAGE BREAK--- Day 21: July 11 ---PAGE BREAK--- Day 21: July 11 ---PAGE BREAK--- Day 1 to Day 21 ---PAGE BREAK--- Composting with Worms Includes all of the management techniques that apply to a common compost pile. z Differences: • Optimized for mesophilic bacteria, which consume waste faster than other microbe families. • Maintain temperatures between 70-85F • Worms break up food and paper waste creating more surface area for microbes • Worms help aerate the compost • Rapid stabilization of nitrogen • Works best on kitchen waste streams ---PAGE BREAK--- Common Compost Materials High Nitrogen High Carbon Bread Coffee grounds Fruit Fruit peels and rinds Garden waste Grass clippings Leaves Paper Sawdust Straw Sod Tea leaves Vegetables Wood ash Wood chips ---PAGE BREAK--- Don’t Try to Compost These... Butter Bones Cat manure Cheese Chicken Dog manure Fish scraps Lard Mayonnaise Meat Milk Oils Peanut butter Salad dressing Sour cream Vegetable oil General Rule: avoid meat, fat, oil, dairy products, or manure from carnivorous animals. ---PAGE BREAK--- Local Resources Neighbors Klickitat County Solid Waste Do you want to sponsor a composting workshop? You provide the location and get 6 or more folks to attend and we will provide the speaker and teaching materials. Give us a call: [PHONE REDACTED]