1

Vermicomposting: A Dirty Solution to Coastal Carolina’s Waste Problem

Introduction

The necessity for landfills stems from the desire for a quick and easy way to dispose of

garbage; however, in reality the simplicity of the landfill concept often disguises undesirable

consequences. Whether it be directly or indirectly, the side effects of landfills pose serious

threats not only to the health of all humans, but also to the environment in which we live. These

threats include birth defects, cancer, and climate change to name a few. Although the risks

concerning landfills are known, most people are too careless to pursue an alternative way to

dispose of their household waste.

As a result of laziness and bad habits, Americans feed landfills over 250 million tons of

trash per year, nearly 70 percent of which can be composted (South Carolina Department of

Health and Environmental Control [SCDHEC], 2010). Compostable materials are resources that

can be put to better use; wastefulness such as this must come to an end.

This report will highlight the fact that through composting, vermicomposting in

particular, Coastal Carolina University can benefit by helping to put those resources to better use.

This report will also explain what exactly vermicomposting is as well as its importance, the

economical and environmental benefits that it presents, and exactly how Coastal Carolina

University can start a composting system of their own.

Vermi-What?

The most popular alternative disposal process is a branch of composting known as

vermicomposting. Garland (1995) best describes this manner of composting as a “recycled

product made from the organic portion of municipal solid waste.” The term municipal solid

VERMICOMPOSTING: A DIRTY SOLUTION TO COASTAL CAROLINA’S WASTE PROBLEM 2

waste refers to the leftovers of what we eat and drink, which are then thrown away. This

particular method of composting uses worms to devour kitchen scraps and other edible matter,

which are then digested and excreted by the worms as vermicompost and worm tea. These

materials are then used as natural forms of both soil and fertilizer.

The vermicomposting process not only presents a simple, yet effective, solution to the

consequences caused by our overloaded landfills, but also it presents economical benefits. If

Coastal Carolina University were to implement a composting system on campus rather than

throw away compostable material, it would reap quite impressive benefits.

Why Compost?

In a single day, the typical American creates an average of four and a half pounds of

waste (Koch, 2010). Research shows that vermicomposting can keep one third of household

waste out of our landfills. Not only does the vermicomposting process reduce the impact of

human waste on landfills, but also it provides the world of gardeners and farmers with compost,

or worm feces, and a natural fertilizer made from a mixture of compost, water, vegetable oil, and

molasses, known as worm tea. As incredible as it may seem, vermicompost is used by many

people as a free, all natural alternative to soil. Likewise, the worm tea is produced from the

castings and used as an extremely successful fertilizer. Understandably, the concept of

vermicompost and worm tea strikes many as gross and unhygienic. However, the “gross factor”

is greatly outweighed by the benefits of the process (Firth, 2010). Both worm tea and

vermicompost have proven themselves to be more efficient than any chemically based soil or

fertilizer on the market. Not only do the plants receive all the nutrients they need, but the use of

VERMICOMPOSTING: A DIRTY SOLUTION TO COASTAL CAROLINA’S WASTE PROBLEM 3

vermicompost has also produced exceptional growth far beyond any soil currently available for

purchase; consequently, increasing their demand (Milton, 2009).

What Coastal Carolina University is Currently Doing to “Go Green”

Coastal Carolina University is already well on the way to be coming a successful eco-

friendly university. The university currently has four environmental clubs that students can get

involved with: the Eco-Rep Program, the Green Team, the Garden Club, and the Students for

Environmental Action. According to the sustainability coordinator, Coastal Carolina University

is already involved in small-scale composting on campus. The university currently gathers pre-

consumer waste from Java City, the dining halls, and Cino Grill and adds it to a compost pile by

the greenhouse (Sellers, personal communication, October 31, 2011). Although the current

composting system at Coastal Carolina University does not involve worms, it does however put

the university in a position to make that transition easily.

How Does Vermicomposting Work?

Nearly everyone is familiar with an “ant farm.” Vermicomposting is essentially a “worm

farm” consisting of worms and organic matter, which provides a self-contained environment for

harvesting vermicompost and worm tea. The work necessary to care for the worms is basically

equivalent to the work it takes to care for turtles in an aquarium (Firth, 2010). Just feed them

once a day and let them get to work to produce the vermicompost and worm tea; it is not a

difficult process at all. The worms can be kept indoors or outdoors and are completely odorless

when properly maintained. As if to contribute an additional benefit, not only do the worms

essentially complete the work for you, but they also double in number every three months;

VERMICOMPOSTING: A DIRTY SOLUTION TO COASTAL CAROLINA’S WASTE PROBLEM 4

therefore, the purchase of worms is only necessary once. It is nearly effortless to take part in this

process. For those concerned with having to touch the worms when collecting the castings and

worm tea, take comfort in knowing that is not at all necessary.

Collecting the Compostable Materials

Between the dining halls, Cino Grill, Java City, landscaping, and nearly every class on

campus, there is great potential for composting at Coastal Carolina University. While the worms

don’t respond well to meat, fat, feces, cooking oils, spicy flavors, or yeast products, there are

plenty of compostable materials on campus. All of the following can be composted:

Raw fruit/vegetables

Grain products

Leafy produce

Peels

Paper/cardboard

Yard wastes

Wood

In order to collect the above items, the university could develop a compost team, made up

of either volunteers or paid employees. This team would set up trash bins in the dining hall, Java

City, and CINO Grill, each of which would be labeled. The labels on the bins would read as

“fruits/vegetables” and “grains/peels.”

The compost team would be broken down into four groups: the first group would be

responsible for picking up the bins from the cafeteria and dropping them off at the

vermicomposting site, located next to the greenhouse; the second group would be responsible for

VERMICOMPOSTING: A DIRTY SOLUTION TO COASTAL CAROLINA’S WASTE PROBLEM 5

feeding the food to the worms; the third group would be responsible for collecting the yard waste

around campus and dumping it at the composting site; and finally, the fourth group would be

responsible for distributing the yard waste evenly among the worms.

Where Would They Go?

As previously mentioned, the worms can be kept either indoors or outdoors and are

completely odorless if properly maintained. While Coastal Carolina University is rapidly

expanding, the task of finding space for multiple compost bins may prove itself to be quite

difficult. Fortunately, there is a compost bin on the market that builds up, rather than out, making

it more space efficient. Figure 1, found on page 7, shows an example of an effective composting

bin, most commonly known as the “Worm Factory,” that can be kept relatively anywhere. If the

university were to use this bin, they could easily house 5-10 of them in a storage closet. Based on

personal estimates, each bin can hold roughly 2,000 worms; therefore, without taking up more

than a closet, Coastal Carolina University could easily house 10-20 thousands worms.

“The Worm Factory”

The “Worm Factory,” as illustrated in Figure 1 on page 7, simplifies the

vermicomposting process much better than other composting bins (“Welcome to worm factory”,

n.d.). There are two primary steps involved in this process: harvesting the compost and collecting

the worm leachate.

How to harvest the compost. The worms along with their bedding (shredded newspaper

works best) are put in Processing Tray #2, the first removable tray from the bottom. You will

VERMICOMPOSTING: A DIRTY SOLUTION TO COASTAL CAROLINA’S WASTE PROBLEM 6

feed them in that tray until it is full of castings, which you will then collect. In order to harvest

the castings, you must start putting the food scraps in Processing Tray #1, the tray directly above

Processing Tray #2 that the worms are currently in. This will result in the worms moving up to

Processing Tray #1 for their food. Once this takes place, you simply remove Processing Tray #2

and empty out the worm castings. Once you have removed the tray and collected the castings,

Processing Tray #1 will then become the bottom tray. In order for the process to be able to

repeat, you must add another tray directly above Processing Tray #1, so that when it comes time

to collect the worm castings the next time around, you will have a tray to lure the worms into.

Collecting the worm leachate. In the same manner that landfills develop leachate, so

does a composting bin. The leachate that drains from the worm castings is extremely toxic and

must be drained from the compost. Fortunately, the “Worm Factory” makes collecting worm

leachate the simplest part of the harvesting process. The compartment labeled “Holding Tray” is

where you’ll find the worm leachate. The leachate will drain from the castings into “Holding

Tray” directly below it. There is a spicket connected to the “Holding Tray”; if you lift the spicket

up, the leachate should drain right out.

VERMICOMPOSTING: A DIRTY SOLUTION TO COASTAL CAROLINA’S WASTE PROBLEM 7

Figure 1. The worm factory: Composting made easy. This figure illustrates the layout of a

composting bin that drastically simplifies the process. Reprinted from http://www.biconet.com/

compost/GIFs/wormFactory1.gif.

Is Vermicomposting Economical?

While the benefits of vermicomposting range from simplicity to environmental, most

universities, including Coastal Carolina University, are more concerned with what can save them

money. Fortunately, vermicomposting has good news for them too. Beyond other benefits lie

economic benefits as well. The greater amount of waste that is composted, the less trash goes

into the dumpsters and the more vermicompost and worm tea is produced. Not only could

Coastal Carolina University use these byproducts around campus, but also implementing a

composting system would save the university money on trash pick-up.

VERMICOMPOSTING: A DIRTY SOLUTION TO COASTAL CAROLINA’S WASTE PROBLEM 8

Saving Money

As reported by the sustainability coordinator, Coastal Carolina University has 34

dumpsters on campus. Each of these dumpsters is emptied three times a week (Sellers, personal

communication, October 31, 2011). The amount of money that Coastal Carolina University sets

aside for weekly trash pick-up is still being determined. Implementing a vermicomposting

system at Coastal Carolina University would reduce the amount of trash going into the dumpsters

by nearly 70 percent, and consequently allow the money currently spent on trash pick-up to be

put to better use.

Making a Profit Composting

Saving money on weekly trash pick-up is not the only benefit for Coastal Carolina

University should they start a composting system. The eco-friendly clubs at the university could

sell the vermicompost and worm tea for profit. The target market for these products would be

those who are involved, or interested, in gardening and farming. Therefore, potential

marketplaces would be the following: major companies such as Lowe’s or Home Depot, online

websites such as Amazon.com or Ebay.com, and local farmers/gardeners. Unfortunately, if

Coastal Carolina University were to sell the vermicompost and worm tea to a major company

such as Lowe’s or Home Depot, they would have to sell it to them for less, leaving the university

with a smaller profit. On the contrary, if Coastal Carolina University were to sell the products

itself through the university’s website, Amazon.com, or Ebay.com, they would be able to sell it

for its true value and keep the profits within the university itself. Regardless of where the

products were sold, the market for all natural, eco-friendly items is quickly expanding.

VERMICOMPOSTING: A DIRTY SOLUTION TO COASTAL CAROLINA’S WASTE PROBLEM 9

Worm castings. On Amazon.com the average price of worm castings is 1.50

dollars/pound (Nature’s Solution, n.d.). Binghamton University (2011), consisting of nearly

12,000 students, has had tremendous success with their composting system. During the 2009-

2010 school year, they produced roughly 2,400 pounds of compost per day from food scraps,

rotten food, stale bakery items, and post-consumer garbage (Binghamton University, 2010). If

Coastal Carolina University produced 2,400 pounds of compost per day and sold it for a dollar

per pound, the annual profit of compost sales would be around $1,300,000.

Worm tea. According to many recipes, one pound of castings can produce 10 gallons of

worm tea (Wigglers Ranch, n.d.). Amazon.com sells worm tea for roughly 25 dollars/gallon

(Nature’s Big Bud Worm Castings, n.d.). Based on the average recipe, Coastal Carolina

University could make 24,000 gallons of worm tea a day; if it then sold the tea the potential

profit would be approximately $600,000 per day.

Derived from these figures, if Coastal Carolina University alternated everyday between

harvesting compost and producing worm tea, the yearly profit would be around $110,000,000.

The economical importance of worm tea becomes exceptionally obvious once it is compared to

the probable compost sales, which in and of themselves are quite staggering. Figure 2, as seen on

page 10, compares the sales of worm tea and compost. Regardless of whether Coastal Carolina

University is saving money on trash pick-up every week or profiting from the sale of by-

products, vermicomposting presents a “win-win” situation. Table 1, as seen on page 10, outlines

the profit calculations for both the compost and worm tea and provides the formula under which

they were calculated.

VERMICOMPOSTING: A DIRTY SOLUTION TO COASTAL CAROLINA’S WASTE PROBLEM 10

Figure 2. Vermicomposting savings/profit composition. This figure illustrates the importance of

worm tea in the total profit composition.

Product Units per

Day

(1 pound of

compost

makes 10

gallons of

worm tea)

Price Total Profit

per Day

Units per

day X price

Total Profit

per Year

Daily profit X

365 days per

year

Total Profit

per Year

When Selling

Each Product

Every Other

Day

Yearly profit / 2

Total

Combined

Profit per

Year

$657,000 +

$109,500,000

Compost 2,400

pounds

$1.50/pound $3,600 $1,314,000 $657,000

Worm Tea 24,000

gallons

$25/gallon $600,000 $219,000,000 $109,500,000 $110,157,000

Table 1. Profit calculations for compost and worm tea. This table outlines the formula under

which the profit calculations were found.

VERMICOMPOSTING: A DIRTY SOLUTION TO COASTAL CAROLINA’S WASTE PROBLEM 11

Environmental Benefits of Composting

Although by-products alone have convinced many people to begin composting, the

benefits of the process are by no means confined to bypassing landfills and profiting off of worm

castings and worm tea. Composting is now known to aid the management of surface and

groundwater contamination and, perhaps more importantly, has been linked to a reduction in the

consequences of global warming. After an internship at the Solid Waste Authority, it became

obvious that a process as simple as vermicomposting could contribute an effective solution to

two huge environmental problems: surface and groundwater contamination and climate change.

Surface and Groundwater Contamination

In much the same way that water runs through ground coffee beans to produce coffee,

water also runs though a landfill and collects the hazardous chemicals from garbage known as

leachate. Composting works directly with surface and groundwater contamination by preventing

the development of organic acids that play a role in the formation of leachate, or more

simplistically, garbage juice. These chemicals become particularly dangerous when leaked into

the ground and often cause groundwater contamination, which is nearly impossible to reverse

and has been connected to serious health risks in humans, their pets, and the wildlife around the

world. In spite of all of this, many people find themselves more concerned with the effects

methane gas has on our environment.

Climate Change

Methane gas, which is inevitably discharged from landfills, is an enormous contributor to

global warming. In a fashion similar to that of leachate formation, methane gas is produced from

VERMICOMPOSTING: A DIRTY SOLUTION TO COASTAL CAROLINA’S WASTE PROBLEM 12

the breakdown of any material; therefore, when massive amounts of garbage deteriorate in the

same, compact vicinity, the amount of methane gas being produced is unsafe for the

environment. The greater the amount of household waste people compost translates into less

waste in our landfill and consequently less methane gas being released into the environment.

Therefore, the reduction of methane gas emissions into the atmosphere is indeed a significant

benefit of vermicomposting.

Conclusion

Through implementing a composting system at Coastal Carolina University, the

university could save the money currently spent on weekly trash pick-up by the reduced use of

dumpsters. After selling the compost and worm tea, Coastal Carolina University could profit as

much as nearly $110,000,000 a year. Aside from the university making a substantial profit, it

will also significantly reduce the environmental impact of the local landfill. The undue amount

of waste that ends up in landfills every year could easily be reduced by as much as seventy

percent through composting. There is no credible excuse to neglect this process, for the benefits

are far too important to ignore. The wastefulness on college campuses needs to cease.

Recommendations

After studying the benefits of composting, my recommendation for Coastal Carolina

University would be to put into practice a vermicomposting system of their own.

VERMICOMPOSTING: A DIRTY SOLUTION TO COASTAL CAROLINA’S WASTE PROBLEM 13

References

Binghamton University. (2011). About binghamton university. Retrieved from http://www.bingh

amton.edu/about/index.html

Binghamton University. (2010). Composting. Retrieved from https://sites.google.com/a/bingham

ton.edu/sustainable-binghamtom-university/home/project-pages/food/Composting

Firth, M. (2010, May/June). Let worms eat your garbage. Natural Life Magazine, 28-31.

Garland, G.A. (1995, October). The compost story: From soil enrichment to pollution

remediation. BioCycle, 53-56.

Koch, W. (2010, July 22). A reason not to take out the trash. USA Today, p. A03.

Milton, R. C. (2009, July). Worm castings- Properties, benefits and other important things

behind the process. Retrieved October 18, 2011, from http://ezinearticles.com/?Worm-

Castings---Properties,-Benefits-and-Other-Important-Things-Behind-the--

Process&id=2609518

Nature’s Big Bud Worm Castings. (n.d.). 1 gal nature’s big bud liquid worm castings organic

plant food/fertilizer. Retrieved from http://www.amazon.com/NATURES-LIQUID-CAS

TINGS-ORGANIC-fertilizer/dp/B000U28MW6/ref=sr_1_1?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&

Qid=1320871410&sr=1-1

Nature’s Solution. (n.d.). Nature’s solution worm castings 20 lb. Retrieved from http://www.ama

zon.com/Natures-Solution-Worm-Castings-20/dp/B004RAHJ8K/ref=sr_1_1?s=garden&i

e=UTF8&qid=1320870966&sr=1-1

South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control. (2010, March). Garbage 101.

Retrieved from http://www.scdhec.gov/environment/lwm/recy cle/pubs/garbage_101.pdf

Welcome to worm factory worm far worm bin composting. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.w

VERMICOMPOSTING: A DIRTY SOLUTION TO COASTAL CAROLINA’S WASTE PROBLEM 14

ormfactory.us/

Wigglers Ranch. (n.d.). Worm tea recipes. Retrieved from http://www.wigglersranch.com/shop/

custom.aspx?recid=9