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What do worms, food waste, and landfills have in common? They are all part of the reason that people vermicompost.
Vermicomposting is the practice of using worms to transform food waste into a nutrient rich finished product called vermicompost. Worms are efficient food-waste-digesting machines that eat over half their body weight in organic matter per day. The castings that they create are rich in nutrients, completely natural, and free!
Most people are becoming aware that landfilling garbage is an option that is less and less desirable. While most people think about paper, plastic, and yard trimmings when they think about garbage, food waste can be a significant percentage of the total waste stream. In fact, for schools and institutions that recycle their paper, food waste is commonly the single largest element remaining in the waste stream.
In a school setting, a vermicomposting system can set the stage for teaching children about a number of different topics. While the biological and environmental lessons associated with vermicomposting are quite evident, teachers have used their worms to teach about a broad range of topics in an integrated curriculum.
Adapted from:
Worms Recycle For Us by the UC Cooperative Extension Office of Placer County.
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