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Northwest Green Alliance Information Series

Low-Cost Indoor Composting

How To Build An Indoor Compost Unit

WHY COMPOST?
Most people don't realize how cost-efficient composting can be. By sending organic waste materials to the
compost pile instead of the dumpster, you can cut your weekly waste by nearly 1/3! For a family of four, this
equates to over 200 pounds kept out of our landfills every year. Don't have enough space or money for a
compost pile? Don't worry -- urban apartment dwellers can participate by using a few common items found
around the house or hardware store. You can even keep your compost bin under your sink or on your balcony.

There are two types of composting: aerobic composting (usually used outdoors) and worm composting, also
known as vermicomposting. Worm composting is recommended for indoor composting as this method works
much faster than outdoor piles, and produces higher quality compost.

MAKING THE BIN MATERIALS NEEDED

- Plastic container with lid
1. Select a container for your compost bin. You can purchase a - Newspapers
plastic container, such as Rubbermaid storage bin, from a - Scissors or drill
department or hardware store. Use a container that is no - Red worms
taller than 18 inches with an opaque surface (red worms are - Rubber gloves
very sensitive to direct light). The chart at the bottom right can
help you determine the size you need. Remember that one
square foot of surface area is needed for each pound of
kitchen waste you generate per week.

2. Your worms will need air be able to breathe, so make air holes
in the sides and cover of your bin, using a sharp object, such as
scissors or a drill. The holes should begin approximately four
inches from the bottom of the bin and be approximately three
inches apart.

ADDING BEDDING

Now add bedding for the worms. Newspaper is a good source of COMPOST BIN SIZE
bedding material, as long as you use with non-toxic vegetable ink.
Household Waste
1. Shred the newspaper into long strips about ¼ inch thick. Size Generated
Sterile soil, dried leaves, peat moss, straw or torn cardboard (# of people) (lbs/week) Bin Size
can be used as alternate bedding materials.
1 1 12'” x 12”
2. Moisten the newspaper with water and then squeeze out the
2 2 17” X 17”
excess. Add a few handfuls of soil or finished compost with
the bedding until your bin is about three-quarters full. 3 3 21” X 21”
 ADDING WORMS

1. Red wigglers (genera Eisenia fetida or Lumbricus rubellus) are the best to use for indoor composting. They can
be purchased online or from a local supplier.
CAUTION: Do not use earthworms dug up from a garden, as they are not well adapted to the warmth,
crowding, and rich organic soil of the compost environment!

2. Place your worms on the top of the bedding. They will work their way down to the bottom of the bin. Your
worm population will reproduce rapidly and adjust to the conditions your bin depending on how much you
feed them and the amount of castings that accumulate in the bin.

RED WORMS SUPPLIERS IN THE SEATTLE AREA

Supplier Location Phone

Molbak's Nursery 13625 NE 175th St., Woodinville, 425-483-5000

WA
Red Worms Bellevue, WA 206-501-8844

Smith and 12200 Northup Way, Bellevue, WA 425-881-6775

Hawken
Stone Way 4318 Stone Way N., Seattle, WA 206-545-6910
Hardware

ADDING FOOD SCRAPS RECOMMENDED FOODS FOR COMPOSTING

1. Chop your food waste into small Good Bad (Do Not Use)
pieces.
- Vegetables and peelings - Meat
- Fruits and peelings - Dairy products
2. Pull aside the bedding and bury the - Bread, grains, and pasta - Bones
food. As the worms start to - Cereal - Greasy or oily food
multiply, add more food to different - Egg shells - Spent cooking oil
- Coffee grounds & filters - Dog or cat feces
sections of the bedding. The - Tea bags - Chemically treated products
bedding will filter out any odors - Paper napkins - Non biodegradable materials
from the decomposing material.

WANT TO LEARN MORE?

Local Agency Websites
http://www.seattletilth.org/resources/compost
http://your.kingcounty.gov/solidwaste/naturalyardcare/documents/Kitchen-Compost-worms.pdf
http://www.seattletilth.org/classes-and-workshops/apartmentcompost
Seattle Classes
Seattle Tilth offers the course “Composting for Apartment Dwellers.” More information can be found at:
http://www.seattletilth.org/classes-and-workshops/apartmentcompost
Seattle Pea Patches
The City of Seattle, Department of Neighborhoods operates a pea patch program with 55 locations throughout the Seattle
where residents can practice organic gardening. More information can be found at:
http://www.seattle.gov/Neighborhoods/ppatch/
 HARVESTING YOUR COMPOST
After about 2-4 months, the volume of material in your compost bin will drop and worm castings, resembling
dark granular soil, will accumulate in your bin. When the majority of the bedding has been converted to
compost, it is time to harvest your compost.

1. Wearing rubber gloves, move the finished compost and worms over to one side of the bin and add new
bedding to the vacant side.

2. Bury fresh food into new bedding so that worms will migrate away from the compost and toward the new
food source. This migration may take several weeks. You can accelerate the migration rate by exposing the
bin to bright light. Worms are sensitive to light and will burrow into the bedding when exposed. Once the
worms have migrated away from the compost, remove the compost from the bin.

Now that you are a successful composter, you can:

• Pot new plants
• Add to pots of your houseplants..
• Raise vegetables on your balcony or at a neighborhood pea patch.
• Give as a gift to a gardener friend

TROUBLESHOOTING
Symptom Cause Solution
Odor Excess moisture Avoid adding high moisture foods such as melons;
add more bedding
Adding the wrong kind of foods Do not add meat, dairy products, or oily food
Lack of air Stir bin contents daily
Dead Worms Temperature extremes Keep bin in location where temperature is between
50°F and 80°F
Lack of air Stir contents; add more air holes
Accumulation of castings Harvest your bin on regular basis
Lack of moisture Dampen bedding lightly
Fruit flies Fruit fly eggs Rinse fruit and peeling before adding to bin
Exposed food Bury food under bedding; cover bin with dry
newspaper
Excess moisture Avoid adding high moisture foods; add more
bedding

References:

Organic Consumers Association. Vermicomposting: Indoor Composting with Earthworms. Retrieved on January 25, 2008 from
http://www.organicconsumers.org/organic/compost.cfm.

Department of Sanitation, City of New York. Indoor Composting with a Worm Bin, a guide to Composting in New York City Apartments.
Retrieved on January 25, 2009 from
http://www.nyc.gov/html/dsny/downloads/pdf//contact/requests/decal_request/composting/wormcomp.pdf

Journey to Forever. Vermicomposting. Retrieved on January 25, 2008 from http://journeytoforever.org/compost_worm.html.

King County Solid Waste Division. Worm Composting. Retrieved on January 25, 2008 from
http://your.kingcounty.gov/solidwaste/composting/wormbins.asp.

CU Environmental Center, University of Colorado. Retrieved on January 30, 2009 from

http://recycling.colorado.edu/education_and_outreach/recycling_facts.html