Red Wiggler Worms (Eisenia fetida)

Why the Worm Factory® Standard?

Americans throw away 34 million tons of food waste into landfills each year, more than any other type of waste (www.EPA.gov). While traditional backyard composting has its place, the process can take up to two years and rotating it can become a chore. Worm composting uses worms to do the work of breaking down waste and is more efficient and easier to manage than a traditional backyard compost pile. In addition, its compact design makes it perfect for use in any household.

Worm composting makes it easy to recycle kitchen scraps, paper waste and cardboard into nutrient‐ rich fertilizer for your plants, creating a more sustainable lifestyle by recycling and improving soil quality. The Worm Factory Standard houses thousands of composting worms in a compact space. These worms work 24/7 to efficiently produce highly beneficial, rich compost packed with microbes and water soluble plant nutrients.

This eliminates all the work of traditional composting and yields a much more valuable end product. Worm compost has been proven to have ten times the nutrients of traditional backyard compost. The more nutrients that are available to your plants, the larger they grow and the more bountiful your harvest is. This system allows you to enjoy ORGANIC vegetables, fruits, and flowers grown with the help of your kitchen scraps.

At a Glance

The Worm Factory Standard is simple to set up and operate. Managing your Worm Factory Standard takes less than 15 minutes a week.

Included with each Worm Factory Standard is a comprehensive instruction guide that makes setup easy and gives detailed tips on how to best manage your new Worm Factory Standard year‐round.

Start with just the bottom tray and bedding material included. Add 1lb of composting worms and start filling the tray with household waste. The worms will process and recycle the waste into fine compost full of nutrients. When the first tray is full, stack another on top. Each tray has a grid bottom, so worms migrate upward as new food is added.

As waste is broken down, moisture filters through the system, taking nutrient‐rich particles with it. This makes it possible to harvest organic liquid fertilizer right from the spigot.

Adding Food &Waste

Adding household waste to the Worm Factory Standard is easy; just open the lid and toss the food in. Fruits, vegetables, grains, paper, egg shells, leaves, coffee grounds and more can be added. Three foods to avoid are diary, meat, and citrus items; these can be harmful to the worms and are difficult to compost. Feed your worms about 50% food scraps and 50% fiber and paper. This creates the optimal environment for worms and finished compost. The goal is to recycle what you usually throw away.

Don't worry about feeding your worms every day. Some people feed them a handful a week; some people feed them a handful a day. The general rule of thumb is worms can eat about half their weight in food per day. This means that if you start with 1 lb of worms, they can eat a half pound of food per day. Worms can survive up to two weeks without any additional food. Just feed them a bit extra before going on long vacations.

In a healthy environment composting worms will maintain their population without over or under populating.

Odorless Year‐round Operation

Your waste production isn’t seasonal and your composting efforts shouldn’t be either! Composting is no longer limited to the warm months. The Worm Factory Standard can be used indoors or outdoors, allowing year round operation. When managed correctly, the Worm Factory Standard is odorless, making it the perfect composter for apartments, kitchens, condos, garages, porches and more! Because of its unique design, the Worm Factory Standard allows oxygen to flow through the system, discouraging stinky garbage odors.

It is important to note that worms are living creatures, and cannot tolerate extreme temperatures. Keep the Worm Factory Standard so that the bedding remains between 40 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit, or where you would personally feel comfortable.

The Worm Factory Standard is expandable vertically, allowing a high compost capacity while maintaining a very small footprint. When full, each tray weighs 12.5 pounds, making lifting and arranging trays effortless.

The Worm Composting Cycle

Your first tray will take about three months to become fully composted by the worms. After the first tray is composted the other trays can take as little as a month depending on the waste added. Once you harvest your finished compost from the bottom tray, you will have an empty tray to stack on top again.

The nutrient‐rich finished compost can be used in your garden, raised beds, container gardens, or on houseplants. Even if you’re not a gardener, the Worm Factory Standard helps you reduce your impact and provides an alternative to throwing your waste into the landfill.

Worm compost not only adds vital nutrients to your soil, it also conditions the soil to hold water longer, prevent plant disease, and promote healthy root growth.

Take one step in the green direction with the Worm Factory Standard and create a healthier, happier environment.