People keep saying you need a ton of browns to stop the smell, but my worm bin says otherwise.

I've been running a small worm bin in my studio for about 8 months now. Everyone online says to dump in a huge handful of shredded paper or dry leaves for every bit of food scraps. I tried that for weeks and the bin just got too dry and the worms slowed down. I switched to just a single sheet of torn-up egg carton per week, and the smell is gone. It's more about air flow than just piling on browns. Has anyone else found the standard advice on ratios is way off for a small apartment setup?

3 comments

3 Comments

umam9523d ago

But what if your bin just got lucky with airflow?

diana69023d ago

I saw a study from a university in California that tested over fifty compost bins. They found airflow was the biggest factor for avoiding smells, more than the type of scraps you add. It wasn't about luck, it was about having enough holes in the right places. My own bin started working way better when I drilled extra holes along the top sides. If the air can't move, everything just gets soggy and stinks. So you can pretty much control it by making sure there's a path for the air to get in and out.

elizabeth87523d ago

Forget the browns, the real secret is the size of your food scraps. I chop everything into tiny pieces, like dime sized, before it goes in. It breaks down so fast the smell never has a chance to build up, even with less bedding. Big chunks just sit there and rot.