Francoise, your daughter has good intentions but (and I mean this in the nicest way) she is full of compost! If done properly, composting will not harm the environment. It's good that people are more concerned about groundwater and drinking water than in the past, but sometimes they do not have the whole picture. The leachate has a LOT of bacteria so it should be allowed to percolate into the soil. Organic matter - whether compost, leachate, or uncomposted materials - should not be put in waterways. The bacteria in the water will consume the excess organic matter, using up oxygen, which can harm fish. This is a major reason we treat our sewage (besides harmful bacteria), and in fact, other organic matter like food waste can be just as harmful to the waterways, since the bacteria that digest organic matter do not really care where it comes from. So she was right to say not to throw stuff directly into the stream. This is all easily addressed by keeping the compost pile or bin a few feet away from that little stream, on a soil surface where any leachate can soak into the soil, and everything will be fine. I would also add that if you don't compost, and the food waste goes into the landfill, not only are those nutrients lost and the soil is not fed, but even a modern lined landfill can leak and pollute groundwater. Tell your daughter it is much better for the environment to properly compost organic matter than to landfill it. :-] This post was edited by toxcrusadr on Wed, Dec 10, 14 at 14:59

Eric 1) You are not alone. Even when doing outdoor worm composting I've had all responses from "eeww, that must smell terrible" or "I hate creepy crawlies" to "I don't have the time" to "Wow, maybe I'll try that myself". I think I may have converted one person. I have made it my mission to try and convert as many people as I can. I find that the best strategy is to be passionate, knowledgeable, convincing and don't hit them with the "worst" possible scenario first. Try to engage them about composting, then earthworms then bins and then only discuss inside or outside. To quote: "Once you've got them by the ba..s their hearts and minds will follow." 2) I started vermicomposting after seeing a show on our actuality programme called Carte Blanche. They were showing how the Mount Nelson Hotel in Cape Town vermicomposts all their kitchen waste and how you can start your own using a CoW. We have several other "Green" programmes, 50/50 for instance, and even though they have had segments on earthworms, the never had one about vermicomposting. Maybe I should suggest it? At least you've got us ;-)

Warmth Red Worms (Eisenia fetida) tolerate bed temperatures as high as 43C (109.4F). It is best to avoid letting your worm bed temperatures go above 30C (86F). Adults of this species have been known to survive being encased in frozen material, and the cocoons are well adapted to survive sub-zero temps for extended periods. The optimal temperature range for breeding Eisenia fetida (red wigglers) is 15-20C (59-68F), yet maximum growth (weight gain) occurs closer to 25C (77F), if you want to go fishing.

I also have city composting and we don't need to watch greens vs browns or anything like that. We can put meat in as well. I admit to having an aversion to collecting the compostable materials because a rental unit we rented for a year turned out to have an ant problem (the owners said, "it's not that bad" when we called--it was thousands and thousands of ants). And the first time I found ants they were all over the compost bin. Definitely disgusting. But I do feel guilty not taking consistent advantage of the city composting for kitchen scraps. So I have resolved to try again after this remodel is finished--we have lived in this house for two years and no ant problem so history should not repeat.