Thanks very much to RWC reader, Auriel, and Treehugger, for pointing me in the direction of an article in the Charlotte Observer (online)!

I am a sucker for cool examples of vermicomposting being embraced on a large-scale out there in the “real world” – so this one certainly caught my attention! It seems the Charlotte/Douglas International Airport will be launching a massive vermicomposting project (as part of a very large waste recycling program) early in 2012!

Here is a blurb:

The airport’s initial plan is to order 300 pounds of worms for $6,000. The worms’ home is expected to take up some 8,000 square feet, or around the size of an average Family Dollar store.

In the giant worm bin – the technical term for it is “continuous flow vermicomposting system” – the worms will eat their fill, leaving behind worm “castings,” as the crawlers’ excretions are politely known.

The castings will be harvested from the bottom of the worm composter. The worms will then crawl upward toward the fresh (to them) food.

Over the next five years, the recycling center as a whole is expected to save the airport about $1 million in waste disposal costs, paying for itself, officials said.

Be sure to check out the full article here: Worms to turn out compost at airport’s $1.1M recycling center