you need to make your own wooden bin to suit your aesthetic, or you might try RubberMaid 17 gallon tubs, like this, or like this .... processing 10# a day would require at least 20# of adult worms, probably best to have 2 of the above

Bill

Unfortunately a self-build wormery is not an option. Not only is this likely to be more costly than an off-the-shelf solution, it will also be relatively unproven.

I have come across the worm wigwam which seems a potential solution, particularly the implied ease of harvesting. Does anyone have experience of this or are there any other larger scale wormeries avaulable?

I'm with Squeeze. Check around the forums and see who is using rubbermaid bins and ask them about their success rate ... for a fraction of the cost too.

Marshall

As I mentioned, a DIY solution is not an option. Rubbermaid is not sold in the UK.

I've googled this and it seems like a good candidate; any others out there?

Here is a link that might be useful: wigwam

that's going to be cheaper than using a plastic bulk storage container??
does it come with the 300# of worms needed to process 150# a day? and you want it to deal with 5-10#??

as to anything being "unproven", you will not find an "automatic" solution to vermicomposting, it's a living process that requires you to have knowledge of the process involved, a learning experience .... ie: it's you who supplies the "proof", and the proof that a simple container does the job is the thousands of folks who are doing it

rubbermaid in the UK including various composters [worm composter at bottom]

Bill

Even if you can't find "Rubbermaid"- just get a storage tote. The brand name doesn't make a difference.
Oh- and don't try and cut the bottom out of a storage tote with a chainsaw- the teeth catch and shatter small pieces off. (learned that the hard way last night)

LOL

Thank you for the suggestions, but the requirements that it is aesthetically attractive, easy to harvest/feed, not a multiple of small units and not homemade. Unfortunately the suggestions you have kindly made do not fulfill these criteria.

If complete processing in warm climates averages 3 months (its a bit cooler here in Blighty) and assuming 40% of weight is lost as volatile organic compounds/surplus moisture as tea, then this leaves us with a system that needs a capacity of at least 540 pounds or 250 kg. With non-consolidated, aerated soil/castings having a relative density of 0.5, the whole assembly needs a capacity of at least 500 l or 36 cubic feet.

If 1 cubic foot equals 7.5 US gallons, we'd need approximately 16 of the rubbermaid (17 gallon) boxes. To this I think I'd need to add an allowance for bedding. This, I'm sure you agree, counts as multiple units.

These figures are just my guesses and I'm sure you be able to find fault with them, but I think my point is made.

The techniques with which you are familiar in composting at a small scale are only sometimes transferable to larger scales

As before, anyone have experience of the wigwam wormery or similar?

Here is a link that might be useful: worm wigwam

Paul, if you know all about it, why ask here?
1- the UK climate will have no effect on "complete processing" times, certainly no more effect than here in coastal Canada
2 -there should be near zero loss to volatility or leachate in a properly managed system, that's the object of the process after all
3 -540# and 36cu.ft. are figures you've plucked from the air ... if you have 5-10# feedstock per day and 20+ # of worms, the capacity of 2 17gal rubbermaids [which hold 50# or more each] should allow you to harvest sufficiently completed material in a month, if you think a single container is preferable, get one twice the size

"The techniques with which you are familiar in composting at a small scale are only sometimes transferable to larger scales"

I'm actually familiar with composting on all scales, and I usually process over 100# of food waste daily [between 2 30cu.ft. bins] - the techniques involved in any scale composting are identical, the labor involved is simply multiplied .... my "small scale" composting, currently dedicated to grass clippings, and to "add value" to my hot compost output, 2 different worm bins - in addition, as a Master Composter I've been processing major volumes of food waste for many years, as well as being involved with local government in public education on composting, and implementing the composting systems used here for a biosolids plant [composting the regional sewage sludge] and public yard waste composting

the wigwam is an attempt at "no effort" vermicomposting on a small scale, and considering the misinformation in their advertising hype, designed for folks who have yet to learn anything about composting - for true "larger scale" continuous flow vermicomposting see here

Bill

Bill,
you seem to be missing the points here.

There will be approximately 10 pounds of food waste and say 2 pounds of bedding added daily to the bin. In a month that equals 360 pounds of organics. This will not fit into 2 17 US gallon bins. Nor will it conveniently fit into any size of twin bin arrangement unless we can get a team of at least 4 people to each take a corner when it comes time to lift the things! Manually lifting a 360 pound bin; forget it.

Of course the will be a loss of mass due to volatile organic compounds.

The examples you provide are hardly paradigms of sensitive aesthetic design. I am sure they work fine for you but, at the risk of repeating myself, I need something a little more attractive.

As before, anyone have experience of the wigwam wormery or similar?

Bill gave advice on Wigwam and an alternative at the end of his post.

I think you're missing the point Paul - anyone with a modicum of composting experience understands that additions to a compost bin over time are NOT cumulative - the object of the process is reduction via biological processes, the [very appreciable] loss of mass has little to do with volatility

I add as much as 100# [2 rubbermaid totes, or about 5 cu.ft.] per day to a bin approx 30 cu.ft., along with "bedding" in the form of partly finished material to cover each days addition - I can continue those additions [say 6 cu.ft.] for 8-10 days [50-60 cu.ft, or 2 bins full] before that bin is near full, and within a week of turning into the next bin, the volume barely fills half a bin .... specifically, the 50 cu.ft. of material has reduced to 15-20 cu.ft. in 2 weeks, with very little smell or leaching ..... added up over a month as you fantasize, I would have 180 cu.ft. in a 30 cu.ft. bin, which is NOT the way bacterial decomposition works ..... on your scale I'd judge that your 10# per day for 2 weeks [140#, probably 8 cu.ft.], would wind up being 30-50# max within a month, the volume, or less, of a rubbermaid tote - alternating 2 of them would suffice - with the smaller Wigwam being 25-30 cu.ft., you'd never half fill it

you may not like the look of the digester that I use to process thousands of pounds in a month, but if the plastic totes appear offensive to you, wait till you see what the Wigwam [about the same volume as my hot compost bins, 1 cu.yd.] looks like after 6 months of continuous use ....

and as Pablo points out, for vermicomposting the Worm Gin is the only real continuous feed alternative - and pretty too, if you're determined to throw money at your waste disposal problems :)

Bill

Pablo,
I'm astonished if you think the 20 foot high worm gin bears a stong resemblance to the worm wigwam. If you take the time to read these threads carefully, I asked if anyone here had experience of the wigwam, not advice.

Bill,
if you have a photo of the wigwam after 6 months please do share it with us. Also a brief summary of your experience of the wigwam would be handy.
In your kind response last Friday you suggested that two 17 gallon rubbermaids would suffice. The volume of each of these is less than 3 cubic feet; a total of less than 6 cubic feet. In your latest missive you have seemingly changed this to 30 - 50 cubic feet; a not entirely unexpected volta-face, and a conversion reminiscent, though far less catastrophic, of the USA's infamous Mars Climate Orbiter error.

It seems as though we will have to agree to disagree on these figures whilst my hunt for a suitable product continues.

actually Paul, if you re-read that, it says you'd end up with 30-50 pounds, [about 1 17 gal tote], after having fed as much as 140 pounds [or about 8cu.ft.] in 2 weeks - it would take many times more than your proposed input to require the volume of the wigwam, which is about 30cu.ft., and systems rarely work well so far below capacity

also I don't think anyone suggested the worm gin [in any of it's wide rage of sizes] bears a physical resemblence to the wigwam, but in fact it operates on the principles common to any continuous flow vermicomposting system, and is THE "large scale" system

if you, as an apparent newcomer to the field, take the time to read the responses here carefully and give them the thoughtful consideration you're being given, you might learn something from those with extensive experience in the field..... hopefully you've gleaned some real information here about how the process works

Bill

I really am a clueless beginner, so if something I say is WAY off feel free to blast me.

This is what common sense says to me, having never done any serious composting. Boiled down you are feeding a critter and harvesting its droppings. That being said spend a few days eating massive salads and raw fruit and then look before you flush. The volume of what you excrete isn't the same as what you eat. There is nutrient absorption, there is the removal of liquids, in the case of celery that is 90%+ of its volume. In the case of Vermicomposting, these containers all have vents so there has to be some, even minor loss due to evaporation, vegetable matter has a structure which breaks down over time with, or without, the aid of a critter. Even looking at the link below you can see the shrinkage, even in a relatively low bacteria area, with no worms munching and no one stirring it around.

Just common sense, at least to me...

Here is a link that might be useful: Rotting fruit