Tentative plans are being made at Brookside Elementary school to secure a long term source of worm bedding. Worm bedding can be manure, shredded cardboard or paper, straw, wood chips, grass clippings, sawdust, or peat moss. The bedding source that we will try to utilize is the shredded paper that is produced at the school. This paper is often sent to recycling, but it seems feasible to divert the flow to the vermicompost system. Although we will not be collecting food scraps from the cafeteria this year, it is still important to include the school in the waste management process as it seems like the most natural source of material.

The carbon-rich worm bedding provides the following functions for the worms:

• Moisture: Worms need a moist environment to exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide through their skin. Without moisture this transfer of gases will not occur.
• Oxygen-rich air: Loose bedding provides air pockets that promote respiration and prevent the worms from suffocating.
• Protection: Bedding covers the worms and hides them from predators. This provides the same function that leaf litter or soil provides in the natural environment.
• Food: Worms will eat the bedding along with the food scraps that are buried in it. It also gives them an alternative to eating their worm castings if there is not a significant amount of food scraps to consume.

The bedding is also used to knock down the potential for flies and odor. Once food scraps are put into the system they are covered with some bedding, (similar to using sawdust in a composting toilet). Regardless of the bedding source it has to be non-toxic.

Shredded Paper that Can Be Used for Worm Bedding Material