YOU, TOO, CAN MANAGE WASTE
NV man puts
worms to work

WASTE MANAGEMENT — finally this term has wormed
its way into the public consciousness. And for North Van-
couver’s John Mcintosh, in more ways than one.

Thanks to the lowly worm,
MclIntosh can compost virtually all
his organic kitchen waste. ‘‘in
November of 1989,"" he ex-
plains,‘‘] came across a book titled
‘Worms cat my garbage,’ authored
by Mary Appelhoff. This book
gives a step by step approach to
turning kitchen wastes into fine
vermicompost (worm compost)."*

Your spouse
may recoil, your
children might
squeal, but a
‘‘worm garden’’
is clean and
efficient.

Mcintosh says that of all the
composts he has tried, this method
is ‘‘the least onerous and produced
the best compost.’’

Of course, you have to be
prepared for the strange looks you
will receive when you announce to
the family that you're starting a
“‘worm garden’’ in the basement.
Your spouse may recoil, your
children might squeal, but squirmy
responses aside, McIntosh main-
tains that it is clean and efficient

SUNDAY.

MOMETSR AUD WEAT VANCOUVER

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colo aga

By BARBARA BLACK

News Reporter

and it's about time we took some
individual responsibility for the
wastes we generate. After all, it is
is estimated that 40 per cent of
household wastes are compostable.

McIntosh admits that living near
the now defunct) Premier Street
landfill has had an effect on his
thinking. ‘‘I guess I’ve always had
an interest in composting and
waste management. When you five
next door to a landfill, you're
aware of (the waste problem) every
time the wind blows."*

Many gardeners have the same
problem when the wind blows past
their own compost heaps. But
usually such vile piles of decaying
matter are not ‘true’ composts.
“You must allow a compost heap
to breathe,"’ advises McIntosh.
“Worms do that by moving
through the soil and aerating it.”

The mistake most people make
is not turning the heap. With the
worm method, however, the
worms do the work for you. What
you end up with, says McIntosh, is
a kind of mini eco-system where
the workings of nature unfold on a
small scale.

The following instructions to
build a vermicompost were pro-
vided by Melntosh:

WHAT IS REQUIRED FOR A
VERMICOMPOST:

1. A suitable container,
preferably not plastic, or at least
one that has not held chemicals or
toxic materials. Drill holes in the
bottom to allow excess moisture to
drain out. I use an old 200-litre
drum cut in half through its

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es

length, measuring about two ft. by
three ft. by 1] in. deep. This is
ideal as its surface area of six sq.
ft. is enough to compost six Ibs. of
kitchen waste per week. My
houschold of four produces about
seven Ibs. of garbage a week, a
one-Ib. per day average.

2. A supply of carthworms
These can be purchased commier-
cially. In my case, i dug worms oul
of my garden and will wait for
them to multiply. Worms can eat
their own weight in food per day.
Therefore, to cat ane Ib. per day
of garbage requires one Ib. of
worms. To ensure that all the gar-
bage is eaten, a two-lb. weight of
worms is used, i.e. about 2,000
worms.

3. A suitable bedding medium
for the container. Shredded leaves
mixed with fawn cuttings are a
natural bedding. I have used
shredded newspaper which has

See Worm
Page 16

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1S - Friday, Miarch 9, 1990 - North Shore News

NEWS photo Mike Waksfleld

JOHN MCINTOSH of North Vancouver is at work in his efficient,
waste-managing worm compost which allows him to recycle virtually all
of his organic kitchen waste, with a bit of newspaper thrown in.

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