A great way to recyle is to use your kitchen scraps to produce worm compost. This is not only good for the enviroment but can provide a great fertiliser for the garden.

What is worm compost?
Worm castings, worm humus or worm manure is the end-product of the breakdown of organic matter by some species of earthworm.  Worm compost benefits soil by:

• improving its physical structure;
• enriching soil in micro-organisms, adding plant hormones, enzymes;
• attracting deep-burrowing earthworms already present in the soil;
• improving water holding capacity;
• enhancing germination, plant growth, and crop yield; and
• improving root growth and structure.

What sort of worms are used?
The worm species most commonly used are Red Worms or Tiger Worms (The common garden worm is not suitable). Composting worms are available from nursery mail-order suppliers or fishing shops where they are sold as bait.

Worm Farms
You can choose to build your own bins or alternatively purchase one from a retailer. Bins should have holes in the sides to allow air to flow, and a spout that can be opened or closed or holes in the bottom to drain into a collection tray. Many commercially available bins comprise of a series of trays stacked vertically. These bins provide an easy method of harvesting.

How to start your worm farm
The bottom-most tray is filled first with bedding material. Bedding is the living medium and also a food source for the worms. The bedding should be moist and loose to enable the worms to breathe and to facilitate aerobic decomposition of the food that is buried in it. A wide variety of bedding materials can be used, including shredded newspaper, sawdust, hay, cardboard, burlap coffee sacks, peat moss, pre-composted (aged) manure, and dried leaves.
The worms are then placed on top of the bedding material into which they will burrow and the next tray placed on top. Food and a little extra bedding is then added to the next tray. Subsequent trays are added as the worms feed and produce casting to fill each layer.

Next Page Feeding your worms, Things to avoid feeding your worms & Harvesting