Office Worm Farms

Worm turns as farms feast on hair and pizza

FOOD scraps, shredded paper and cardboard are being recycled in worm farms placed in State Government office buildings as part of an effort to reduce waste.
Bits of leftover fruit, vegetables, pizza boxes, tea bags, eggshells, bread, hair and shredded paper are put into the unit where they are "eaten" or decomposed by the worm population.
The specially bred worms convert the fresh materials into castings, a brown, soil-like material high in nutrients that can be used as fertiliser for gardens and pot plants.
The Department of Environment and Climate Change (DECC) is leading the campaign with worm farms in many of its offices around the state.
At Hurstville, three farms housing 6000 worms were installed six weeks ago.
Information Technology specialist Helga Klepsch, who introduced the idea, said the worms were so popular with staff, they were in danger of being over-fed.
"So far the worms seem to be happy and thriving," she said. "We have worm champions on every floor who are responsible for making sure the food bins in every kitchen are placed in the farms regularly. Nothing is put in there that shouldn't be and the farms are covered over.
"Anyone from staff can take containers of the worm waste home for their own garden as a really nutritious and effective form of compost."
DECC director-general Lisa Corbyn said offices throughout NSW were taking up the challenge, with Queanbeyan employees composting all food and weed waste from the site and using it in their office's own vegetable patch.
"Worm farming is a really easy, clean and sustainable way even the smallest of offices can contribute to cutting waste and greenhouse gases," Ms Corbyn said.
"While everyone is doing a great job recycling at home, we need to make a bigger effort in our offices, shops and shopping centres."
About half of all household waste is organic and when deposited in landfill it produces methane, a potent greenhouse gas.
Local councils sell worm farms for about $50 to $70 and some provide them free on the completion of a workshop.
Source: The Sun-Herald