I received a 5 gallon bucket with compost. The source was from an aquaponic operation. I asked, and they gave it free of charge. As I used the compost, I noticed a few worms. When the contents got down to where there might have been 1 gallon left, I started throwing in my kitchen scraps, newspaper, junk mail, and cardboard boxes.

I leave it out in the yard. Uncovered. Morning dew, overnight condensation, and rain add moisture. The bucket eventually filled with my “garbage”, and I forgot about it for awhile. Eventually, I checked on it. There were worms. More than I thought. Not like in those youtube videos where you see tons. But they were in there, and eating away at my garbage.

I got a second bucket and collected more of my “garbage”. Now I’m also adding yard scraps like leaves, weeds, grass, etc. It took awhile, but I managed to fill bucket #2 with garbage. Bucket 1 now had more worms, and most of the garbage was broken down. I sifted and collected some worms from bucket 1, then added them to bucket 2. I started collecting garbage in a 3rd bucket. At this point, I’m grabbing handfuls of compost from bucket 1, and using it in the yard. With every handful of compost, any worms I find get tossed into bucket 3. If I don’t pay attention, handfuls of compost, worms, and eggs are simply used in the yard.

That first bucket has now morphed into 6 buckets, all with various stages of compost, and worms. As I dig in the yard, I find worms in the soil. Those worms are free range, and simply feed on whatever fallen leaves, dead flowers, fallen fruit, and assorted yard debris. I suppose I’m lucky since I don’t actually do anything that everyone else says to do.

My kitchen scraps include all waste. Even things that people shy away from. Citrus peels are always being thrown into my bins. I don’t shred anything. Newspaper, mail, cardboard might get torn in half, or sometimes I’ll throw in a whole cardboard shipping box. I don’t freeze food scraps. I think it’s stupid to put garbage back into my freezer. I don’t blend or puree my leftovers. I’m not cleaning up a food processor used for blending garbage. Meat and dairy go right into the bin if I have any to throw away – granted there rarely is any leftover uneaten meat and milk, since I’m eating all my steak and drinking all my milk. Egg shells go in as is – I’m not washing out and blending egg shells. All of the apples from the neighbors apple tree when they fall on my side of the fence.

Essentially, I don’t do anything that people say to do, or follow any of “the rules”. But I have worms all over. Worms which I didn’t buy, or intend to keep. Most people could probably get away with doing nothing, like me, and have a thriving worm population to dispose of their leftovers.