Vermicomposting: "People are afraid of worms yet they are as important as bees"

Vermicomposting is still a marginal discipline. How did the idea to launch this project come about?

Mahaba: I was born in Grenoble then I worked in Paris in IT after my studies. At the same time, I was involved in a lot of associative activities in the environment, with Greenpeace for example, Les Colibris, Terre & humanisme... And one day at work, I had to deal with the subject of the quality of life at work: I had a click and I wondered about the quality of life in general. If you want to change the world, it starts with yourself... So I wanted to make my voluntary activities my profession. Today, Sébastien's grandfather's vermiculture farm is being rehabilitated, and we have been there since last September. The Happy Vers project was born in 2018.

Sébastien: Personally, I haven't changed jobs or life. I was already living in the countryside, my father was an agricultural engineer, my grandparents had farms, we sorted waste, etc. So I have always bathed in this environment and I have always made my vermicompost for my personal use. When I met Mahaba, I showed her what I was doing and she got me into it. One thing leading to another, we embarked on this joint project. So we have two very different but very complementary paths.

You launched a call for donations with counterparties on Miimosa on May 20. What are the objectives ?

Sébastien: The idea of ​​this crowdfunding is, on the one hand, to financially develop our activity and, on the other, to involve as many actors as possible in our project, to expand our network of partners. For example, we are in discussion with the Smicval – structure for the collection, treatment and recycling of waste, editor’s note. Part of the waste remaining from their collection is incinerated: we would like to be able to work with them to recycle them. Firstly because it's an anomaly, but also because we have the ability to implement solutions, support and monitor projects. In addition, this would reduce transport costs since we are located about fifty kilometers from them.

Mahaba: We would also like to reach more communities since the things we have already put in place with some have proven to be positive. For example, we accompanied the Laval college which installed a vermicomposter but also chickens on site: they treat their waste, and also raise awareness.

Is awareness needed?

Mahaba: The training workshops that we offer make it possible to de-dramatize vermicomposting, to break down preconceptions, fears around these techniques... Today, people are afraid of worms. Yet they are as important as bees.

Sébastien: In the hamlet where we live, to make ourselves known, we have installed a large vermicomposter in front of our house in a somewhat strategic location with some signposts. People naturally came to deposit their waste there. It allowed us to share something with our neighbors, to discuss, to exchange, to bring a little life to the village, to create a bond...

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You must also keep in mind that vermicomposting is not only reserved for outdoors but also works very well in apartments. It isn't dirty, doesn't give off an odor... and can even be better than conventional compost since you don't need to stir it. In a compost you have to make holes, ventilation shafts to let the oxygen pass. Conversely in a vermicompost, it is the worms that make the galleries, we let them do it, we don't touch them.

Precisely, what are the notable differences between classic compost and vermicompost?

Sébastien: First of all, it goes faster. Compost takes between 12 and 18 months to be ready, whereas vermicompost takes between 4 and 6 months. Then, the worms have in their organism enzymes which make it possible to obtain a soil of better quality and more easily assimilated by the plants. Their digestion also makes it possible to treat some of the pollutants present in the soil, linked to insecticides, heavy metals, waste discharged by industry... Moreover, today there are techniques for depolluting the earth from using insects, especially earthworms. We are thus able to produce organic products on polluted soil after three years of treatment.

Mahaba: You should know that since the 1970s, life on earth has decreased by at least 60%. With compost worms, the more we develop them, the more life we ​​will reinject into the soil. Conventional composting, of course, works very well, but vermicomposting is more powerful at different scales.

What are the financial benefits that can be obtained from vermicomposting?

Sébastien: It's about 300 kilos per year and per inhabitant of waste that we could treat at source and recycle. A 20 liter bag of very good quality potting soil that you buy in a garden center costs around 12 euros. A family of four will generate more than a ton of waste over the year: we could make between 8 and 10 bags of soil, or as much savings on purchase. Vermicomposting also reduces bills thanks to significant water savings: the use of potting soil will lead to a considerable reduction in the watering of plants.

With Happy Vers.

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