County waste department to provide free composting/vermicomposting and Make Your Own Worm Bin class Saturday in Moreno Valley

NEWS RELEASE

The Riverside County Department of Waste Resources will host a free backyard composting class and Make Your Own Worm Bin workshop Saturday, October 1, in Moreno Valley. 

Learn how to recycle organic resources, such as yard trimmings, as well as fruit and vegetable waste into a dark, crumbly, sweet-smelling soil conditioner. The hands-on class will teach residents how 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 Riverside County Department of Waste Resources at 14310 Frederick Street.  Composting is nature’s way of recycling. It’s a great way to turn waste into a garden. 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.

Low-cost compost bins for $13 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.

Residents will then learn how to further breakdown food and yard waste with help from worms, through a process known as vermicomposting. The Make Your Own Worm Bin workshop will begin at 11:00 a.m., immediately following the composting/vermicomposting class.

Put worms to work with vermicomposting 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.

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. Tools to assemble the worm bin will be available for use at the workshop, along with 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 1:00 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 call (951) 486-3200, visit www.rcwaste.org/composting/how or email [email protected]