Vermicomposting

Vermicomposting is the practice of rearing worms, typically red wigglers, white worms and other earthworms, to decompose vegetable or food waste and bedding material into vermicompost, a nutrient-rich mixture used as an organic fertilizer and soil conditioner in gardening and organic farming. The worms' excreta, called vermicast or worm castings, form the finished product and have been shown to carry reduced levels of contaminants and a higher concentration of nutrients than the original organic material. Vermicomposting can also be applied to treat sewage, using a variant process called vermifiltration to remove organic matter, pathogens and oxygen demand from wastewater or from the blackwater of flush toilets, and the technique also yields a water-soluble extract called vermiwash.