Composting is a great way to reduce waste and create nutrient-rich soil for your plants. If you don’t have outdoor space for a compost pile or want to compost year-round, an indoor red wiggler composting bin can be a great solution. In this article, we’ll guide you through building and maintaining an indoor worm bin out of a plastic tub, and we’ll also show you how to use a paper shredder to create bedding from cardboard and newspaper.
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Before we dive into how to build an indoor worm bin, let’s talk about the importance of reducing, reusing, and recycling. By reducing the amount of waste we produce, we can save natural resources and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Reusing items instead of buying new can also save resources and money, and recycling keeps materials out of landfills and reduces the need for virgin materials. When building your composting bin, try to use items you already have on hand or can find at a thrift store or garage sale. You’ll be reducing waste and saving money at the same time.
Building Your Indoor Composting Bin
To begin building an indoor worm bin, you’ll need a plastic tub with lid. A tray big enough for the tub to sit in is ideal in case you have drainage and it’s not in a place where that’s okay. You’ll also need a drill with a 1/4-inch bit, some newspaper and/or cardboard, and some red wiggler worms.
First, drill a series of holes around the sides of the tub. These holes will allow air to circulate through and above the compost and the lower holes near the bottom will allow excess liquid to drain out.
Next, add a layer of shredded newspaper or cardboard to the bottom of the tub. This will be the bedding for your worms. Shredded newspaper and cardboard are great choices for bedding because they are absorbent and provide carbon for the composting process. Use a paper shredder to shred the newspaper and cardboard into small pieces if you can. When shredding cardboard, remove any tape, staples, or plastic labels first. Mixing both cardboard and newspaper can create a nice balanced bedding for your worms.
Adding Worms and Food
Now it’s time to add your red wiggler worms. You can order worms from us by clicking here! Red wigglers are great for indoor composting because they are hardy, reproduce quickly, and don’t mind living in close quarters. Start with about one pound of worms for a typical indoor composting bin. DO NOT SPREAD THE WORMS OUT. They will migrate where they feel comfortable. They don’t need our help.
Once you’ve added your worms you can then add a little bit of food waste to get them going. Red wigglers like to eat a variety of organic matter, including fruit and vegetable scraps, coffee grounds, and eggshells. Avoid adding meat, dairy, and oily foods to your indoor compost bin, as they can attract pests and create unpleasant odors. Be mindful of how wet your food scraps are when adding to the bin as those will affect moisture content.
After feeding, top off the bin with another (moist) layer of bedding. and add the lid.
Maintaining Your Indoor Composting Bin
Maintaining your indoor composting bin is easy once you get the hang of it. Here are a few tips to keep in mind:
Keep the bedding moist but not wet. The compost should feel like a damp sponge. If it’s too dry, add a little bit of water. If it’s too wet, add some more dry bedding.
Add food scraps regularly but in small amounts. You don’t want to overwhelm the worms with too much food at once, especially in a new bin. As your worms multiply and you notice the food scraps disappearing faster, add more as needed.
Stir the compost occasionally to help maintain good aeration. Use your hands or a handheld garden fork to break up any clumps as needed.
When the compost bin has gotten full or you just need some castings for your plants, it’s time to harvest the “black gold.” You can do this a few ways depending on the dimensions of your bin. One way is by moving the compost and worms to one side of the bin and adding fresh bedding and food to the empty side. The worms will migrate to the fresh food, leaving the finished compost behind.
Another way is to screen/sift the compost in a small tub with MANY 1/8” – 3/16” holes drilled into it and used like a shaker box you put compost in, shake it and the sifted compost falls out the bottom and the worms stay in the tub to be added to a fresh bin or bartered with.
In Conclusion
Building an indoor worm bin out of plastic tubs is a great way to reduce waste and create nutrient-rich soil for your plants. By using a paper shredder to create bedding from cardboard and newspaper, you can reuse these materials and reduce waste even further. Remember to always try to reduce, reuse, and recycle whenever possible, and to use items you already have on hand or can find secondhand to build your composting bin. With a little bit of effort and care, you’ll be rewarded with rich compost and healthy plants.