The results of the school-wide waste audit last month by the Green Team showed that Silverwood creates approximately 2 lbs of food waste per day. While students and staff should do their best to eat all of their lunches or take leftovers home, not all lunch waste is edible (e.g. banana peels, apple cores and napkins). For these items and others like them, we have decided to use vermiculture to give new life to our lunch waste.

As part of their Environmental Science class, primary students got this project underway when they added Red wiggler worms (Eisenia foetida) and bedding to two “Can-O-Worms” bins. Over time, these worms will turn organic wastes into nutrient rich compost that can be added to Silverwood’s garden beds and landscaping. Although it would be great to start composting all of our food waste right away, it’s important that we start feeding our worms gradually as their numbers increase over the next few months. For now, the Green Team will only be collecting food waste once a week for the worm bins.

What do we feed our worms? As described in Seattle Tilth’s The Maritime Northwest Garden Guide (seen below), our worms should be fed a strictly vegan diet and given fresh, moist bedding every few months. This will help keep our worms happy, healthy and eager to reproduce!

Okay in a Worm Bin: Raw or cooked veggies and fruits, breads, raw or cooked grains, coffee grounds and filters, tea bags, paper napkins and egg shells

NOT Okay in a Worm Bin: Milk, meat, cheese, yogurt, salad dressing, butter, oils and egg yolk or whites