Free Palm Desert Class Teaches You To Compost, Make Worm Bins

PALM DESERT, CA - From Riverside County Department of Waste Resources: The Riverside County Department of Waste Resources will host a free backyard composting class and Make Your Own Worm Bin workshop Saturday (3/23) in Palm Desert.

Attend this “how-to” class to learn how to recycle organic resources such as yard trimmings and fruit and vegetable waste into a dark, crumbly, sweet-smelling soil conditioner. Compost can be used to enrich the soil in gardens, lawns and house plants. Instead of putting organic waste into the garbage to be hauled to the landfill, learn to compost.

The free backyard composting class and demonstration begins at 9 a.m. at the Coachella Valley Water District office, 75515 Hovley Lane East. Composting is nature’s way of recycling. It’s a great way to turn waste into a beneficial soil amendment. In composting, organic material is mixed together in a pile or bin, where literally millions of tiny microbes digest the material and turn it into a nutrient-rich soil amendment.

Residents will then learn how to further breakdown their food and yard waste with help from worms, through a process known as vermicomposting. The Make Your Own Worm Bin workshop will begin at 10:30 a.m., immediately following the compost class.

Put worms to work through a composting method called vermicomposting – the process of using worms and associated organisms to break down organic waste into material containing nutrients for plant growth. Volunteer master composters will teach county residents how to set up, build, care for and harvest castings and worms.

Low-cost compost bins, subsidized by the department, also will be available for purchase by Riverside County residents (limit three per household). County residents can purchase compost bins by cash or Visa or MasterCard. Adult county residents interested in the workshop can purchase a worm bin kit for $26 or bring their own supplies. To see to a short list of class materials needed for the class visit http://www.rcwaste.org/vermicomposting. The materials will cost approximately $15. Tools for building a worm bin will be available for use at the workshop, along with enough worms to get your bin started. This workshop provides a hands-on opportunity to explore vermicomposting and take home an inexpensive working worm bin.

The class and workshop are free and will end by 1 p.m. These programs are offered to teach residents about the ease and advantages of organic material recycling and how composting helps preserve valuable space in county landfills.

For more information, contact Riverside County Department of Waste Resources at (951) 486-3200 or visit: http://www.rcwaste.org/composting/how or send an email to WasteCompRecyc@rcwaste.org