Storing Food Waste Before Feeding Worms
Here is a question from Melanie
You mentioned this on your site :
“I like to keep food waste in an old milk carton that sits under my
sink. Aside from the convenience of not needing to take it down to the
basement (where my indoor bins are located) or outside (to my outdoor
bin) multiple times per day, this also allows time for microbial
colonization of the materials – and don’t worry, you won’t have a
stinky mess in your container if you do it properly (I’ll definitely
write more about that in another article).”Did you ever discuss this further on your blog? I’ve looked and looked and
can’t find it.
Good question Melanie!
I never DID end up writing more about that (that happens quite a bit – haha), but it’s certainly a good topic to talk about.
While the “old milk carton[s]” have long since been retired, I do still keep a container under my sink (photo below). It is a unit specially designed for the task – essentially a compost crock with biodegradable bag insert.
I have to laugh a little when I see these scrap holder containers with tightly fitting lids and carbon filters. I’m sure they work perfectly fine – but WHY create conditions that lead to bad smells in the first place?!
If you use a fairly well-ventilated system, and add some bulky, absorbent ‘bedding’ types of materials at the bottom, and interspersed throughout, you shouldn’t end up with odor issues. My favorite bedding material is shredded egg carton cardboard – it is VERY absorbent and easier to work with (shred etc) than corrugated cardboard (another worm favorite). I try to remember to add a handful of it each time I start up a new scrap bag.
So that is pretty much it, Melanie – the real secret is providing ventilation, and including absorbent, carbon-rich bedding materials along with the food waste!
Hope this helps.
Written by Bentley on March 27th, 2009 with
7 comments.
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Mark from Kansas
Kate
Bentley
Kim from Milwaukee
Amanda
1937 lb of Organic Waste, and Counting!
#1. March 27th, 2009, at 3:49 PM.
I keep a small plastic container – like one of those cereal container boxes, for people who don’t snarf through their cereal fast enough to keep it from going stale – beside my sink. The box has a lid, and I can leave one portion of the lid open, but lately, I’ve taken to just leaving the lid off entirely. Occasionally I throw the box into the freezer to freeze the materials, and take it out the next day to let the water melt and let some microbial action happen. Then, when the box is full, I take it downstairs and distribute the food to the worms. My food box isn’t ventilated on the sides, only has the open top. Occasionally it’s a little funky at the bottom, if it’s been a slow food waste week and I haven’t emptied it recently, but really, it’s minimal and only smells when I dump it (if it’s stinky at all – usually it isn’t). It NEVER stinks up my kitchen, though. A bonus – it’s translucent plastic, so I can see the food breaking down through the sides. I kind of, um, LIKE watching the decomp process. I guess that’s why I’m attracted to composting and worms.