Three months of worm bin composting and I hit 10 pounds of scraps processed

Started a small worm bin under my kitchen sink back in September. I use a simple two-tote system with bedding from shredded newspaper. Yesterday I weighed my output and realized I had processed 10 pounds of kitchen scraps. That was way more than I expected for such a small setup in my 600 square foot apartment. The worms are doing great as long as I keep the moisture right and bury the food deep enough. No smell at all if I layer dry leaves on top after each feeding. Has anyone else tracked their total scrap weight? I'm curious what numbers other apartment composters hit with similar sized bins.

2 comments

2 Comments

vera_lewis15d ago

oh man 10 pounds is awesome for a small setup like that lol. i used a similar two tote system for like 8 months in my old apartment and i think i got to like 14 or 15 pounds before i moved. what really helped me was adding a little bit of crushed eggshells every week, it seemed to keep the bin from getting too acidic. also i started chopping my scraps into smaller pieces and they broke down way faster. you're totally right about the dry leaves thing, that's the secret to keeping it smell free honestly.

the_jordan15d ago

has anyone tried adding a handful of shredded cardboard or paper to the mix? i started doing that with my bin and it seemed to help a ton with moisture control and gave the worms more bedding. i mean, maybe it's just me but the eggshell thing is solid too, i usually just rinse and crush mine in a ziplock with a hammer lol. idk, i think a lot of people overlook the carbon sources besides leaves, but paper towels or junk mail work just fine in a pinch.