A green business venture

melsb · **A green business venture**

An interesting article I thought. I'm really interested in composting with worms but my husband isn't going for it. I should show his this article.
Worms + garbage = green success - CNN.com

LuvMySoldier · 09-30-2007, 08:08 PM

What an interesting article!! Terra Cycle, the business this article highlights, markets organic, red worm (poop) fertilizer using recycled (or at one time, simply USED) plastic bottles, 1/2 price, leftover sprayers, and misprinted boxes for shipping. All labels, it reads, are new and custom made.

On their website TerraCycle Inc you can follow links for information on where to send used yogurt containers, drink pouches, and soda bottles to be recycled - with FREE SHIPPING - to raise money for your favorite charities!!

They also market African Violet and Orchid plant food, as well as the all-purpose variety, and those especially for garden or lawn. (The labels of which proudly includes the words "Worm Poop".) The website says that in 2008 they will also produce an organic drain cleaner, as well as a bird feeder using an old 2-liter bottle!! How cool is THAT??

I absolutely LOVE the idea of reusing plastic bottles for packaging, especially for something as "non-sterile" as this fertilizer. Once I am able to have a garden, I will be looking into fertilizers such as this. And I don't know about you, but I think I'd lean more towards buying THIS product simply because it's packaging helps the environment!!

Thanks for the post, melsb!!

melsb · 09-30-2007, 08:54 PM

How interesting -- truthfully I had never heard of this company before this article or all the extra recycling stuff that they do.

I've talked with both my husband and mother and no one will go into the worm poop business with me ... sigh!

LuvMySoldier · 09-30-2007, 09:06 PM

Could be a profitable business!! I read (somewhere) that the owners are hoping to increase profits from 1.5M (in 2006) to around 5M this year!!

The owner was quoted as saying (something to the effect of) he wasn't doing this "to save the environment", he was doing this "to show people they can MAKE MONEY saving the environment"!! I like that!!

Denvergirlie · 10-01-2007, 03:06 PM

We have three bins of worms... they spend the summer outside along the shaded side of the house and over winter in the basement.

That being said, we only have them for personal use, although we really should sell of some of them as we simply don't have need for this many and they reproduce so quickly.

There was also an episode on Discovery channel "Dirty Jobs" about a worm farmer as well. It can be big business, absolutely.

Just because your hubby isn't into it as a buisness you can still have some for personal use to eat those scraps and add to the garden beds.

melsb · 10-01-2007, 03:24 PM

How long does it take for you worms to go through their scraps? I am thinking that I may try a box in the spring!

In my hometown there is a maggot farmer here! He says these maggots all over the place. Makes a nice living doing it. My brother has gone out to fix his A/C for his maggots and he says the place is very clean.