Concerned about climate change and how much food waste is going to landfill?

Wish you had a way of "recycling" your own organic kitchen waste and leftovers?

Do you have space in your kitchen, basement or back yard for a neat plastic worm bin around 30 inches tall?

Would you like to turn your food waste into vermicompost; a highly potent organic fertiliser commonly referred to as "black gold"?

Are you a friend to worm-kind?

If you answered "yes" to all the above, vermicomposting (composting with worms) is for you!

As Ben & Jerry UK's Climate Change Ambassador for 2008, I am collaborating with students of the University of Manchester to set up working examples of vermicomposting kitchen food waste, to use this as an example of how food waste can be diverted from landfill while resulting in a high-value horticultural end-product.

What does food waste have to do with climate change? It is food waste that, in landfill, gets compacted with other waste and emits methane and carbon dioxide in anaerobic conditions. These greenhouse gasses are released directly into the atmosphere.

My project: The idea is to recruit, using Ben & Jerry’s ice cream and other giveaways as added incentives, a team of 50 student “Worminators”. These students will be assigned a worm bin for their communal kitchen and be educated and trained to use, maintain, and be responsible it.

That's not just 50 people reducing their food waste; if each worminator shares his/her bin with 3 others, that's 200 people's waste being diverted from landfill!

While their worms get adjusted to their new homes, for the 1st month Worminators will keep a record of how many kg of food waste they throw away per week. This will allow me to compile data of how many kg of food waste an average student generates, therefore how many kg typically ends up in landfill.

You too can be an honourary Worminator by installing a worm composting bin in your kitchen or backyard!

Feel free to drop me a line if you're interested and I'll be happy to help you find the right kit for your home :)

Do your bit; help combat climate change with global worming!  Every little bit helps...

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