Cal Poly SLO - Compost Collection Bin

Our Earthworm Composting Bin uses its intuitive design to enable users to participate in and learn about the decomposition of food waste. Pre-filled with earthworms at the bottom, a student need only to pour food scraps into the top of the bin to initiate the process. The worms will digest the added material and travel upwards as they do. Via a see-through acrylic wall, students can view how fresh trash at the top of the bin becomes the organic mulch at the bottom. Our design also includes a series of removable shelves that allow only the earthworms to travel through them. This allows usable compost to be separated from unprocessed material and then removed through an opening at the bottom. The Earthworm Composting Bin is a device to both teach and enact environmental stewardship for everyday people.