Dog Poo Worm Farm Basics
Dog poo doesn’t go into the regular worm farm; it needs to go in a separate one. There are a couple of reasons for this.
One, if worms have the choice between dog poo and banana peels and avocado, they are not going to be choosing eating dog poo.
Two, whereas regular worm farm castings (the nutrient-rich compost left by the worms once they process the food) can be used to grow seedlings and added to the veggie patch, worm farm castings stay in the ground.
This is because faeces may contain parasites and bad bacteria, so spreading it over the lettuce seedlings isn’t a good idea from a health perspective.
Of course, it’s possible to position a dog poo worm farm underneath a fruit tree so that the tree gets the benefits of all the nutrients.
I like the dog poo worm farm set-up (as opposed to digging holes in the ground every time there is something to dispose of) because there is one spot where everything goes. It’s contained and easy to manage.
As someone with a small yard, it is the perfect solution for me.
The short answer is that, YES, dog poop can certainly be processed by composting worms. My brother-in-law tosses most of his dop poop (during warmer times of the year) in a basic backyard composter containing Red Worms, and they readily convert it into rich compost.
I still think it could be a worthwhile project to help the shelter turn their poop into compost – don’t get me wrong. You might simply focus on using the compost on their property instead of selling it. As alluded to above, you will need some larger systems, though – not just a few “worm bins”. A low-tech approach might simply involve heaping the poop and bedding up to the point of initiating the hot composting process – and then perhaps spreading the pre-composted material out into windrows for the worms. Operating at that level (with those volumes) I’m sure you would need to look into local regulations on manure handling, however. Bare minimum, I’m sure all this would at least need to be done up on a concrete pad of some sort. You would also need to make sure there was no run-off into the surrounding environment.
Would I suggest doing this on a larger scale and then selling the compost to the public? Not likely. Or at least not without a lot more steps/processes in place.
Composting worms have been found (in multiple academic studies) capable of destroying human pathogens, so there is a reasonable chance you could end up with a fairly safe end product simply by vermicomposting the material. The thing is, though – would you really want to take a chance? Even with a specialized, professional flow-through system and a high density of worms, there is no guarantee that all the waste materials will end up passing through the digestive system of the worms.
And then there is the public perception – perhaps the biggest hurdle of all. Regardless of what these worms are capable of, people just tend to think of any type of animal waste product as “dangerous” – largely thanks to the over-hyped media coverage of e-coli and salmonella outbreaks etc.
Rules for Composting Dog Poo in A Worm Farm
A dog poo worm farm works the same as a normal worm farm. Except there’s a couple extra rules you need to follow:
| Rule | Comments |
|---|---|
| Don’t fertilize edible plants / fruit using dog poo worm farm compost. | Pet poo contains pathogens and bad bacteria that can harm us. Finished worm castings will have parasites. So don’t touch or spread around your veggie path or fruit trees. Keep your in ground dog poo worm farm far away. |
| Keep a dog poo worm farm separate. | Worms have no problem eating dog poo. But if they had the choice between watermelon and dog poo, they’ll go for the watermelon every time. So don’t give them the choice. |
| After worming your dog, wait a few weeks before adding dog poo again. | Guess what? Worm tablets kill worms! You can try a bokashi bin rather than a worm farm if your pet has just been wormed. |
| Do not wrap dog poo in compostable bags | It still takes 6 months to break down… |
Dog poo wormeries – the best way to deal with your dog poo!
Coming up with a green solution for dog waste disposal at home can raise a few questions. Although I don’t personally have a pet dog, and one of the main reasons is because I hate the thought of picking up it’s poo! I have been asked on numerous occasions as to whether or not you can put Dog Poo In a Wormery, so what’s the answer?
Yes you can put dog poo in a wormery, the worms will break down the waste and turn it into vermicompost and liquid fertilizer, just like a regular wormery that recycles food waste.
In my opinion all pet owners should have a dog poo wormery at home and to be honest why don’t the council install these on the street. What a great way to rid the pathways of dog feces whilst at the same time being green.
The council could then go on to use the vermicompost created by the worm bins on the pieces of land they maintain which are generally inaccessible to the public. Like the middle of roundabouts for example.
Ok…Let’s not get too much off track here. I don’t want to turn this into a rant. Let us instead look at some other dog poo worm farm related info that you might find handy. Such as,