Vermicomposting for Household andModern Gardeners

Wan Hanisah Wan Ismail

ABSTRACT

Vermicomposting as a method ofsolid waste managementalternative is gaining increasing consideration by mostenvironmentalists around the world. Started by farmers inthe temperate countries to decompose their solid wasteparticularly during the winter seasons, vermicompostinghas become a common trend of solid waste managementin most of the developed countries. However, thistechnology is quite new to the Third World particularlythe Asian countries where the climatic and environmentalconditions are quite different from those of the developedcountries. This paper introduces some of the basics ofvermicomposting, its benefits. the current situation as wellas its commercial potential in the management of otherwaste and environmental preservation.

IntroductionThe amount of solid waste produced by Malaysians isabout 15,000 tons daily. However, only less than 5% ofthis amount is recycled (Bee Dees 2001). The other 95%(especially food waste) piles up in dumpsites around thecountry where valuable plots of land have to be sacrificedfor this purpose. In addition to that, these piles of waste,particularly food waste give rise to environmentalproblems such as putrid smell and contaminated groundand surface water.

Considering that the population of Malaysia isexpected to double in the year 2020, the production offood waste will increase tremendously. With that, theenvironmental problems in relation to rotting wastes

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would also be expected to double. Although some stepshave been taken by the govemment to manage solid wastethrough recycling programs, the activities do not includegarden and food waste. Altematively, these biodegradablewastes can be diverted from going to the landfills bytaking up other options of appropriate waste treatmentsuch as composting. With that, the recent trend of usingworms to degrade solid waste into valuable compostmaterial could be the answer.

What is Composting?Composting is defined as the aerobic biologicaldecomposition and stabilization of organic substrates,under conditions that allow development of thermophilictemperatures as a result of biologically produced heat, toobtain a final product that is stable, free of pathogens andplant seeds, and can be beneficially applied to land(Golueke 1982; Haug 1993). Normal composting isassisted by microbial activities in the presence of adequatelevels of oxygen and moisture. The end-product of thisprocess is what laymen refer to as the organic fertilizer,called compost.

VermicompostingVermes is a Latin word for worms. Vermicomposting isthe process of composting with worms. Organic mattersuch as garden and food waste naturally decompose withthe help of microbial activities. However,vermicomposting speeds up the process of decompositionand the end product is a richer organic fertilizer called theworm castings (Frederickson 2004).

Both vermicomposting and traditional compostinginvolve the decomposition of organic matter by aerobicmicroorganisms. However, the processes carried out in thetwo composting techniques are quite different. Accordingto Frederickson (2004), vermicomposting is best carried

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Vermicompostingjor Household and Modern Ciarderners

out at relatively low temperatures (around 20°C)compared to traditional composting where temperatures inthe compost pile may go up to 60°C to 70°C.Vermicomposting involves the joint activities betweenearthworms and the aerobic microorganisms to breakdown the waste and the end results are the vermicompostand vermicast. In contrast, traditional composting onlyinvolves the decomposition of the organic waste throughthe activities of the aerobic micro-organisms resulting inthe production of compost.

Advantages of VermicompostingVermicomposting is a natural and efficient way ofrecycling organic garden and kitchen waste. Given theright environment and appropriate routine attention, ourgarden and household waste can be converted to valuablecompost faster than the traditional composting procedure.Worm composting also prevents stinking smells from thedecomposing materials due to the fast action of the wormsin eating those garbage. With the right equipments,vermicomposting is quite clean and odourless and can beconducted indoors.

For urban dwellers or people with little or no yardspace, vermicomposting is the answer for household wastemanagement because composting can be conducted incontainers and placed indoors. Wastes and food scraps canbe disposed into the vermicomposting containers withoutburdening the water treatment facility or landfills.

For the gardeners or farmers, vermicompost (withvermicasts) is a nutritious fertilizer that can be used fortheir crops or ornamental plants without incurring cost forthe purchase of fertilizers. The granular worm castings,when mixed into garden soils would react as a 'slowrelease' fertilizer to feed the plants and at the same timeacting as a soil conditioner by improving the structure ofthe soil (Murphy 1993). Besides that, according toMurphy (1993), vermicasts also contain special hormonesand enzymes secreted by various types of bacteria living

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in the worms' body. These hormones and enzymes arebeneficial in promoting plant growth.

Some Basics About VermicompostingThere are five basic ingredients to start vermicomposting,that is; a container, bedding material, water, worms andgarden or kitchen waste (Cochran 2004).

The Worm Bin

The worm bin or container can either be a plasticcontainer or home-made plywood with a lid or cover. Agood size for a bin is 12" high, and 16" ; wide and 24" inlength. This size will handle about 1.5kg to 2.0kg garbageper week. For kitchen vermicomposting, the roughguideline is one square foot of surface area per 600gm offood waste per week. Drill holes at the bottom of the binso that excess water can be drained out. Set the bin onwooden blocks or attach legs to the bin to increase aircirculation. Plastic bins tend to get wetter than woodenbins. If the bin is too wet, ordour problems may occur andworms may die or leave the bin. Place the bins in a shadylocation where it is protected from the hot sunshine andrain. Recommended locations are under kitchen sinks,garage, patio or laundry room.

The Bedding Material

The compost worm's natural habitat is in piles of fallenleaves or manure above the soil sl1Iface. For householdpurpose, the best material to use for bedding is shreddedpaper or newspaper placed three to six inches deep at thebottom of the box. The paper needs to be moistened untilit is damp (75% moisture). Cow manure or peat moss canbe used to lighten the bedding and absorb excess moisture.In addition, a handful of soil with some well-crushed egg­shells can be added every few months to the bedding toprovide grit and calcium. The bedding material mustremain damp (not soggy) at all times because the worms

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Vermicompostingfor Household and Modern Garderners

need moisture to live, feed and reproduce.Other materials that can be used as bedding

materials include grass clippings, chopped up straw,sawdust, fibrous garden waste such as com husks, padihusk and shredded leaves (Applehof 1982). Thesematerials can be used in any proportion and it can help toprovide more nutrient for the worms and to create a richercompost.

The Worms

The best worms are the composting worms. These wormsare not naturally found in Malaysia. There are severaltypes of vermicomposting worms such as Eisenia foetida(Red Wiggler Worm or Tiger Worm) and Lumbricusrubellus (Applehof 1997). These worms have a bigappetite, reproduce quickly, and thrive in confinement(Applehof 1982). For local vermicomposting, theseworms are imported from Australia. Currently, the CropProtection and Quarantine Unit of the Department ofAgriculture is also supplying these composting worms insmall quantities. For large-scale vermicomposting, we stillneed to import from Australia or Indonesia through theCrop Protection and Quarantine Unit o( the Department ofAgriculture.

The amount of worms needed will depend on thesize of the worm bin. As suggested by Hirrel (2003), aworm bin will support up to 1 pound (600gm) ofredworms per square foot of surface area. These wormsare said to be able to process food waste about half oftheir total body weight daily.

The Kitchen or Garden Waste

Red worms will compost a large variety of kitchen andgarden wastes. However, meat, dairy products and greasyfoods are not recommended for vermicomposting. Foodwastes such as vegetable scraps, fruit peelings, bread andgrains, rice, tea bags, coffee grounds and crushedeggshells can be used for this purpose. According toApplehof(1982), the smaller the food scraps the faster the

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worms will digest them. It is advised that the wormsshould be fed only a little at a time. As they multiply,larger quantities of food wastes can be given. The wastesshould be buried into the bedding regularly, rotatingaround the bin as you go about doing it.

Harvesting The Compost

The compost can be harvested about three to six monthsafter setting up the bin. The compost looks like rich, darksoil and can be separated from the worms by exposing thebins to light and placing fresh bedding next to it. In thepresence of light, the worms will move away form thecompost and burrows into the fresh bedding.

Vermicomposting-World Wide

Vermicomposting has been practised by farmers inEurope, Australia and the United States for quite a longtime (Applehoff 1982; Frederickson 2004; Murphy 1993).Compost worms which are different from garden wormshave been used to compost garden wastes by smallfarmers. Vermicomposting has gained acceptance byhouse owners in the developed countries who use itindoors to compost household food wastes particularlyduring the winter season since it is odourless and easy toconduct. Extensive research and development have beenconducted in these countries and they have produced awide variety of innovative composting bins andparaphernalia. They even have a compost hotline wherefarmers and housemakers can get advice and informationrelated to the latest issue about worm composting andbuilding their own wormery.

Vermicomposting is also popular in schools andoffices. In the schools, vermicomposting can be anexciting class project where it can promote learningamong students and recycling of school wastes such asfood scrap, papers, pencil clippings and cardboards. Insome cases, vermicomposting projects help the students togain extra money from the waste that they generated(Cornish 1999). Some researchers in the Asian countries

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Vermicompostingjor Household and Modern Garderners

such as India and Indonesia have also started venturinginto vermicomposting studies.

Additionally, due to the efficiency ofvermicomposting, most of the developed countries havestarted large-scale worm composting to manage the foodand other organic wastes from food and other relatedindustries. According to Frederickson (2004), severalcommercial vermicomposting units in the UnitedKingdom are capable of composting thousands of tons ofwastes per year. In Malaysia, the knowledge and skills invermicomposting is still insufficient. Several parties havestarted to pick up this technology such as the DepartmentAgriculture, and several researchers in Universiti SainsMalaysia, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Universiti TeknologiMARA (Pahang and Shah Alam). Some private estateshave also acted as pioneers to start and experiment withvermiculture and vermicomposting in their farms.However, hands-on technology about vermicompostingfor local households and small farmers is not yetavailable, hence, the need for extensive studies andresearch to be taken up by local researchers.

Other Commercial Values and Prospects of Worms

Worm farming has become a new venture which willchange the nature of solid waste management through outthe world. As research and practical thinking continuesabout the potential of worms, new areas of opportunity arecoming to light. As reported by Murphy (1993), theBhawalkar Earthworm Research Institute of Pune, Indiahas developed the technique of waterless worm-driventoilet and worm assisted sewage treatment.

According to this· report, the waterless worm­driven toilet is odourless and can hygienically converthuman waste into valuable pathogen-free castings whichcan be used as organic fertilizers. 'Vermifilters' aredesigned by Bhawalkar Earthworm Research Institute forsewage treatment (Murphy 1993). Using these, theInstitute claims to produce drinking-quality water fromraw sewage. It is a continuous process, is 100 per cent

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wonn-driven, and provides both primary and secondarytreatment. This system seems to be able to successfullydispose off solids by converting them to castings and italso purifies the waste water.

ConclusionComposting and particularly vennicomposting technologyhas .not reached or gained wide acceptance from themajority of Malaysian farmers and households (includingschools and offices) as compared to the developedcountries. Currently, most Malaysian citizens are still notaware of the importance of recycling and solid wastemanagement and their impact on the environment. Thismay be due to lack of information and inadequateReasearch and Development (R&D) activities to facilitatethe spread or diffusion of the benefits and appropriatetechniques of vennicomposting and waste managementsuitable to the Malaysian climate and household habits.

A lot of R&D activities need to be carried out sothat we can produce our own adapted technology ofvennicomposting. People also need to be educated aboutthe benefits of recycling and how vennicomposting canhelp to not just manage solid waste particularly farm orfood waste, but to generate income and reduce productioncosts in the agriculture sector as well as the industrialsectors. The joint effort between research and thediffusing agents (extension workers) is needed to developa really user-friendly vennicomposting system andtechnique as well as spreading that technology to thewhole mass of the Malaysian population.

ReferencesApplehof, M. (1982). Worms Eat My Garbage.

Kalamazoo, Michigan USA: Flower Press.

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Vermicompostingfor Household and Modern Garderners

Cochran, S. (2004). Vermicomposting - Composting withWorms. http://www.Lancaster.unl.edu/enviro/pest!factsheets/1 07-197.htm.

Cornish, P. (May 1, 1999). Composting: WormsExperiment with Food Waste Diet. WasteAge,wasteage.com!ar/waste-composting-worms­experiment!.

Frederickson, 1. (2004). The Future Potential ofVermuculture. http://www.urbanmines.org.uk/page2.html.

Murphy, D. (1993). Earthworms in Australia. Australia:Hyland House.

Nordin Mamat, Tan Dek & Zubir Bidin. (Unpublished).Kepentingan Cacing Tanah Dalam BidangPertanian dan Penggunaanya Dalam PengeluaranVermicast Untuk Meningkatkan Kesuburan Tanah.Bahagian Perlindungan Tanaman dan KuarantinTumbuhan, Jabatan Pertanian. Kuala Lumpur.

WAN HANISAH WAN ISMAIL,Sciences, Universiti Teknologiwanhanis@pahang.uitm.edu.my

Faculty of AppliedMARA Pahang.

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