Buddha Worms
What Is A Worm Bin? from Miranda Pfeiffer on Vimeo.
Worm bins are indoor vermicomposting containers. Red wigglers eat food scraps very fast, making bins a great alternative to outdoor composting or just throwing food away.
The worm exchange is a free program designed to increase the number of worm bins in Baltimore city. Because a healthy bin will double its worm amount after 3-5 months, each participant can eventually share worms with another eager composter. Started in the fall of 2009, the number of people using worm bins has significantly increased, and there is currently a lengthy wait-list for free worms.
I developed an exhibition on worm bins in December of 2009, and host workshops on how to maintain a healthy bin. All materials (sinage etc.) in the show were compost-able, and fed to the bins upon the shows closing. The video (above) video is from the exhibit. Since 2009, I've given several vermicomposting workshops. When participants harvest their bins, they are invited to use the nutrient-rich worm castings on their own plants, donate it to a local garden, or bring it to our community garden, The Buddha Garden in exchange for free vegetables.
In association with Buddha Worms, an offshoot of the Sustainable Food Project and the Buddha Garden, I built these wooden worm bins out of recycled wood. Whether scavenged from dumpsters or found in a parking lot, each bin has a different source, ranging from a dismantled pallet to slightly warped, found 2"x 4"s.
While plastic tubs are the most commonly used bin, wooden bins (made from untreated wood) degrade naturally after a few years of use, absorb some of the unwanted moisture from a bin, and depending on your source--mine was free because all the wood was found--wooden bins can be inexpensive. I've written a detailed tutorial of how to construct these bins yourself on the Buddha Worms Website.
In some cases, like the 2"x4" bin (pictured last), holes already present in the wood were used to serve a function of the bin, letting air in so that the worms can breathe. For the lid of the oak plank bin (pictured first), instead of cutting another piece only to drill holes in the top (and using more materials, more energy to drill the holes), I just left a gap in the center. This provides ample circulation for the worms, and also creates a quick slot for small scraps.
The bins currently belong to a group of four volunteers who have never used a worm bin before. For eight weeks, they were asked to post a photo of their bin and answer a few questions on the blog for the website. This serves as a resource of successes and failures, and fosters a community of composters.
