Worm compost bin produces great garden, clear conscience

Commercial composting faces some of the same challenges the recycling industry did when it began in earnest some 30 years ago—so far, only about 3 percent of the state's organics are diverted from the waste stream for refuse. To be economically feasible, composting needs a business model that balances supply and demand: an adequate source of material, systems to collect and process the material, and markets for the finished product. Young says that the limited number of commercial compost processors is a significant limitation. "In the waste business," she remarks, "you can't pick it up if you can't put it down." Young says she hopes that economies of scale and increased business competition will reduce the cost to dump the organic material enough to offset the cost of collection. Jaimez of Hennepin County notes that if, for example, local transportation departments decided to use compost to re-vegetate roadsides after construction projects (compost has proven to reduce erosion better than dirt), it could quickly create a much larger demand.

Jaimez says that state mandates like those that launched recycling programs—setting specific goals and offering financial support or incentives to getting facilities in place—would give organics composting a significant boost. In its last session, the state Legislature did approve a half-million dollars in funds for composting-related grants. Still, it's unlikely, Young says, that Minneapolis will go the way of San Francisco, which operates the country's largest organics recycling program and plans to levy fines on those caught commingling organic matter with trash.

Alma Guzman

Birchwood Cafe owner Tracy Singleton (top) says her restaurant recycles 90 percent of its kitchen waste through commercial compost sites or in Birchwood's garden

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More About

• Ellen Sandbeck
• John Jaimez
• Susan Young
• Waste and Recycling
• Nature and the Environment

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While waiting for curbside organics pickup to become available in my neighborhood, I considered buying an automatic indoor composter like the ones my friends picked up at Target. The appliance, which looks a bit like a desktop computer tower, is filled with food waste, sawdust, and a little baking soda. The machine automatically heats and mixes the material before dumping out finished product in a couple of weeks. The composter does have a few downsides—it's expensive, it consumes a fair amount of electricity, and it generated an unpleasant odor strong enough that my friends moved it outside—but overall, it's pretty slick. Still, I don't think it's right for me. When I opened the lid and peeked inside, I kind of missed the worms.