by Wonder Worman | Nov 26, 2010 | Red Wiggler World
It’s been so cold in Bend! Last week, our daytime highs were in the 20’s and the night time lows were in the negative single digits. Not only were we blasted with winter temperatures, Mother Nature also granted us 6 inches of snow. The kids enjoyed the snow and weren’t phased by the arctic temperatures. They made a really cute snowman with Carlos and loved pelting each other with snowballs. I’m not to sure how the Red Wigglers felt about this unseasonably cold weather. I’m going to check on them and the Sunchips bag today and will record all of my data for my ongoing experiment. It will be a quick visit because there is a nice layer of snow on the top of the worm bins, and I don’t want to expose them to the outside temperature for too long. That wouldn’t be too nice to blast them with cold air…yuck. Be back in a bit!
by Wonder Worman | Nov 17, 2010 | Red Wiggler World
bins surrounded with hay and a construction fence
I am often asked, “Wonder Worman what should I do with my Red Wigglers during the winter?”
Depending on my mood, I may reply…
“Oh, avid composter, don’t fear! You can still feed your Red Wigglers! Just put on your comfy, warm boots and venture out in the beautiful, fluffy white stuff and feed those wigglers. Just make sure you add some soft, colorful leaves to the bins to create a thick layer of natural insulation. You want to keep your babies warm!”
Some days, I can’t stand Central Oregon weather, and I may reply…well, I really wouldn’t say this. It’s kind of rude…but wouldn’t it be fun.
“Oh, whatever, don’t worry about those dreadful, icky, cold, crappy, days. Even though I can’t stand those days, the Red Wigglers don’t mind! Just feed them when you can! They’ll live.”
Actually, that doesn’t sound too bad! I guess I can’t “go there” in my writing. I am too worried I may offend someone. My thoughts are a lot worse, not about the person asking the question. It’s just the weather gets me down.
You can also gather some of your Red Wigglers and start a compost bin in your garage or laundry room, using a plastic container or bucket. The rate at which they consume your scraps will be faster in warmer temperatures.
You can get some info off of my website, and you can also buy worms, too!
Happy wormin’
by Wonder Worman | Nov 12, 2010 | Less in the Landfill, Out and About, Red Wiggler World
Hi,
I am so excited to begin my composting experiment with the compostable bag! Thanks for creating this product. I am promoting the bag and really don’t care about the noise. I understand Frito Lay needs to listen to consumers in order for the product to survive, but was upset to see that there was a change back to the plastic bags while research is being conducted. I am the owner of Wonder Worman, a composting service business in Bend, Oregon. I sell Red Wiggler composting worms and worm bins. I also work with the Environmental Center, setting up our local schools with worm bins and composting bins. Please view my blog and web site. I will be updating the blog with the observations of my experiment on a regular basis.
www.wonderworman.com
http://wonderworman.blogspot.com/
Best to the business!
Laurie – Red Wiggler Merchant
Frito-Lay’s response
Hi Laurie,
Thank you for your enthusiastic response on Snack Chat about our SunChips compostable package. I’m not an expert on composting but have been told that the package does not break down as well in vermi-compost, because it is a cold compost method. The ideal compost temperature needed for our package to decompose is 120-140 degrees. To achieve this temperature there are some great suggestions on www.sunchips.com. Your business venture sounds like an exciting one, and certainly needed with the growing sentiment we’ve seen from consumers about being good stewards of our planet. We wish you the very best in your endeavor and thank you again for supporting our earth-friendly initiative.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Best regards,
Linda Phelps
Frito-Lay Consumer Affairs
by Wonder Worman | Nov 9, 2010 | Less in the Landfill, Red Wiggler World
I am pumped and ready to put the SunChips bag to the challenge. I am not too concerned with the amount of time it will take for the bag to be completely composted. I am more focused on the hope that it will just break down into usable compost.
As an avid composter for about 6 years, I know all of the right conditions need to be present for the optimum breakdown to occur, adding the right amount of brown and green waste and also reaching the right temperature. These conditions, I believe only happen in a controlled environment. The Sunchips bags were tested in a facility which maintained the composting temperature at 130 degrees Fahrenheit. The bags broke down in about 12-16 weeks. Realizing a home composter would not have access to those conditions, the SunChips testers mimicked a home composting bin and added browns and green waste to the SunChips bags. The bags broke down in about 13 weeks. They also conducted an Industrial Composting Standards test which is way beyond my backyard so I am not going to discuss all that they did…….
Basically, they passed a rigorous test protocol conducted by Cedar Grove in Seattle, Washington.
So, I am going to try two different composting methods, maybe even 3, depending on SunChip cravings!
1) Red Wiggler composting Bin
2) Backyard compost pile
3) Compost tumbler
All of these are already set up with brown and green waste. Temperatures will vary among the three.
I am thrilled SunShips created this compostable bag and am excited to see the results.
Happy Wormin’
by Wonder Worman | Oct 29, 2010 | Less in the Landfill
This is the aftermath of fun times! A pile of dead batteries that once gave life to wireless video game controllers and wireless mice now sit on the kitchen table. As you can see, we are not loyal to one brand. We grab what is on sale and also have a few rechargeable batteries. Unfortunately, we don’t have many charging stations to satisfy our immediate need when one battery dies, especially during an epic battle in Halo! (a really cool game by the way. I admit. I have joined in on a few matches, getting my booty whipped and laughing as it’s happening) So, we resort to buying mass quantities of AA batteries.
Just last year, I would toss these into the trash not even giving it a second thought. Now running a composting business, I TRY my best to watch what is heading to the landfill. Realizing we can’t feed batteries to the Red Wigglers, we bagged them under the kitchen sink next to the other recycling containers. Yesterday the bag was about to bust so I called the landfill to see if they could be put at the curb for pickup. Nope, they have to be dropped at the Hazardous Waste Building, an annex next to the Recycling Center.
Before taking them, I dumped them onto the table to get a picture for my post. I couldn’t believe how many we bought over the past year!
Yuck! I really wish I put something on the table before I dumped them. This battery was already leaking the bad stuff! What it is….. I don’t really know to be honest with ya! I just have a feeling it can’t be good because my hair had a run in with a dead car battery that was stored in the back of my trunk when I skipped high school! ‘nough said!
Bottom Line: Bring your batteries to the Hazardous Waste Department (just that name let’s me know…the things inside the batteries are not good for the planet!)
The Red Wigglers will devour a few non food items, like coffee grounds and filters, newspapers, eggshells, toilet paper rolls, and compostable baby wipes, but they will not munch on batteries! Who would blame them?
