Things are getting wormy at St. Joseph Elementary

St. Joseph elementary kids are worming their way to a greener school and gardens with their new vermicomposting program, organized in partnership with the Killarney Outdoor Education Centre (KOEC).

Students and KOEC visitors alike will weigh the organic waste that enters the compost, such as vegetable peels, coffee grounds and that broccoli you keep promising to yourself your going to eat, but never seem to get around to it, and keep a record of the volume of garbage they prevented from entering the landfills.

In a process called vermicomposting, busy worms will chow down on the organic waste in bins containing soil, water and bedding material and convert it to fertilizer, which will be added to soil used in gardens and planters.

The program, funded by TD Friends of the Environment and Learning for a Sustainable Future, aims to teach youth about the benefits of environmentally friendly household organic waste management.