Apartment Composting?

[chilts]

Has anyone been successful at this? or have links on this?

I heard about a box of worms under the sink can take care of all your organics and is odor free. It would be nice to implement as at least 50% of my garbage is organics.

Edit:
GVRD Guide: http://nsrp.bc.ca/tem/pdf/Guide_to_Compos_Worms_GVRD.pdf
Vermicomposting: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vermicompost
North Shore Recycling Program Worm Composting: http://nsrp.bc.ca/tem/naturalyard/worm.html

I guess I just need to find out where to get worms.

[jayk]

I emailed the city of Hamilton when I was living there, and they said apartment composting wouldn't be available until 2008.

You can ask the city?

[mrsmagoo2001]

Check out places that sell bait . Just remember to ask for red Wigglers.
Did this years ago with a cub pack......works ok.

[eelfliw]

Vermicomposting works fine. And you don't need a lot of worms to start as these critters reproduce very fast. But you do have to watch out what you give them to eat. Balanced diet is a must. Otherwise, the population will drop (it's a bit like playing Sim City). Also, worms don't like meat, blood, kitty litter etc. too much so if you tend to have a lot of these, be sure to put the composter in a well ventilated area because it'll take forever to compost.

It's also messy (IMHO) to harvest the compost. Unless you like to dig thru compost to fish out worms. So, have a solid plan to harvest the compost. Otherwise the compost pile will get bigger and bigger but you can't throw it out because the worms will go with it.

[DulceDuck]

I have two wormy bins, I've had them for *wow* 10 years and they've been odorless and low-hassle. There are two ways to go about 'harvesting' the worms. The easiest is to just to start putting the compost only on one side of the bin then after the worms have migrated, remove the soil from the abandoned side. I've had them on the balcony and patio on my place and they're unnoticeable. I got them through the City of Vancouver - $25 for the bin, the worms and a short course on how to use it.

From the City of Vancouver website: http://vancouver.ca/engsvcs/solidwaste/garbage/garbagetips.htm
Worm Composting (for Apartments)

Worm Composting (for Apartments)Do you want to compost, but live in an apartment and don't have a backyard? Worm Composting allows you to turn your uncooked vegetable and fruit scraps, coffee grounds and filters, egg shells, etcetera into a nutrient-rich soil conditioner for your plants. The City has a limited number of Worm Composters available at the low price of $25. The units come complete with the bin, lid and tray, worms, bedding and instructions, and a mandatory one hour workshop at the Compost Demonstration Garden. To register for the workshops or to get more information, call the Compost Hotline at 604-736-2250. For a slideshow demonstration of worm composting check out

[Silverbullet]

We have had a worm bin for about 3 years, along with 2 outdoor composters. The worms get most of our food waste, and the outdoor composters get the garden waste. We harvest using the method Dulce describes, and it works well to separate the worms from the finished compost. Vermicompost is the best houseplant fertilizer you will ever find. For $25, I would encourage you to give it a try.

[ChromeSushi]

I'm thinking of getting into the composting game as well. For you outside composters, how does it work in the winter? Do you have to move to indoor composting?

[chilts]

Thanks Dulce. I will definitely look into that.

[jayk]

We have had a worm bin for about 3 years, along with 2 outdoor composters. The worms get most of our food waste, and the outdoor composters get the garden waste. We harvest using the method Dulce describes, and it works well to separate the worms from the finished compost. Vermicompost is the best houseplant fertilizer you will ever find. For $25, I would encourage you to give it a try.

hey that's a good idea.

I actually use a patch of shaded area in my backyard in the summer. That soil is the best, works great for my flower garden and also growing vegetables. It's best for stuff that is watery and you don't want to throw in the green bin cuz it gets smelly and wet and drips. Also, watery compostable material or molding or rotting stuff disappears really fast.