Recycling on Oahu, Hawaii with Worms?!

www.localism.com featured

While watching the news last night I sat with amazement listening to this story. According to The Waikiki Worm Company,  the island of Oahu's wastestream is about 34% and they decided they were going to do something about it! This company was established to recycle .....ORGANIC WASTE with.....worms.

The processing of organic waste is called VERICOMPOSTIN. What the worms do is transform garbage into a nutrient-rich, no odor, no pathogen organic soil that is used to improve the health of all types of plants and trees.

I am just beginning to understand how important it is to take the initiative and get more involved with  innovative ways to recycle our waste. Though many of you have heard about this ....I just heard this for the first time last night on the news! 

So....this is what I gathered:

• Get a worm bin.
• Throw the worms in
• Throw in the organic waste (many restaurants are getting into the swing of things!)
• Cover it with a canvas type covering
• Let the worms do their thing
• Turns into worm waste (otherwise known as Vermicast)
• Throw the compost in your garden, houseplants, trees, bushes to recycle the nutrients back to the soil 
• Voila!  Unreal garden veggies, plants
• Doing our part for the environment.
  

(Okay, it may not be as simple as that to get started if one knows nothing about this. But I tell you what, this surely got me going in understanding how we can KEEP Hawaii a beautiful paradise with less wastestream)

It's also imperative to maintain a clean and healthy worm bin so make sure to "harvest" and rebed your worm bin every 3-4 months.  This is about how long it takes 4 inches of paper and cardboard bedding to be consumed and broken down by the worms. "Harvesting" consists of separating the Vermicast (which has built up as your garbage is being processed). Keep in mind that your worm colony may have increased in volume as well.

Click here for your pdf file on:   How to harvest your mini-bin in eight easy steps

TOWN Restaurant is one of the Waikiki Worm Company's biggest customers. Located at 9th & Waialae, the Town Restaurant serves fresh, award-winning cuisine that is "Local First, Organic Whenever Possible, with Aloha Always."

Town Restaurant is also widely known for their support of those who support sustainable methods and was the first commercial location to have a worm recycling kitchen waste facility. Town Restaurant is also known for using recycled paper products, earth friendly cleaning products and the used cooking oil goes to produce biodiesal fuel.

I grew up in Mililani but I went to Leilehua High School in Wahiawa. Up the street from the school is Peterson's Upland Farm which has been selling fresh island eggs and chicken manure for generation. Wel come to find out they convert their chicken manure into rich, marketable vermicast.

                                                                                                                  Picture courtesy of Waikiki Worm

I know "worms" may not be the most pleasant of topics for some....and before this not for me either. It just brings to mind the work 'ew' although after learning about this from last night and reading more I've taken a different way of thinking.