When you place an aluminum can in the recycling bin, what happens to it? It is send to a factory that melts it down, and makes new products out of it, typically another aluminum can. What happens when you flush the toilet? Your waste is most likely sent to a treatment plant that often times breaks down the organic matter, and converts it into fertilizer products for agriculture. But what happens when you throw your apple cores and banana peels away? Usually they are buried in landfills. In nature, organic matter breaks down in aerobic setting. This allows the material to feed other creatures like worms and bacteria’s. In landfills, there is no oxygen, making the setting anaerobic. This causes the organic matter to produce methane, a gas 20 to 25 times more potent than CO2.
Vermiculture is the cultivation of certain varieties of worms, used for breaking down food waste. Worms, such as the red wiggler, consume food scraps and excrete castings which are very packed full of much of the nutrients plant life thrives on. By closing the nutrient loop, we can minimize much of the harmful gases produced by landfills. Additionally, the need for mined processed fertilizers can be reduced. This is something me and a few of my peers at Solheimar are experimenting with. The process is actually quite simple, you put red wigglers in a container, add some compost, a carbon source (paper or hay), and water. The last thing you do is mix the ingredients. This is one of the many ways the village is experimenting with ways of increasing their sustainability.
Jón Tumason
