Who wouldn’t want to do the right thing and not only send less food waste to landfill but even turn it into a proper eco resource? That’s exactly a wormery is for. Using an indoor wormery is now easier than ever and several designs are there for you to choose from.
Worm composting has been around for a while in alternative eco scenes and looking at the wormeries available it is clear that it is now becoming more mainstream. We look at what’s available to fit not just the purpose of turning plant based food waste into incredibly fertile compost but also for different tastes in design and budgets and, of course, also look good inside a home, too.
Urbalive Wormery Kit
Best Design and Style
WormBox
Wormery
Best Buy and Movable
Stainless Steel Wormery
Best for Countertops
| Footprint | ||
| 51cmx38cm | 47cm diameter | 34 cm diameter |
| Height | ||
| 61 cm (2 trays) | 43 cm (2 trays) | 43 cm (no trays) |
| Capacity in ltr | ||
| 20 ltr (10 ltr per tray) | 32 ltr (16 ltr per tray) | 30 ltr |
| Household size | ||
| 3 -4 people (more with additional trays) | max 2-3 people | |
| Price | ||
| High | Low | Medium |
Why a Wormery is a Good Thing
We have spent hours testing wormeries, measuring food waste, counting worms hatching out of cocoons, used worm casts for seedlings and plants with mind blowing success, been sharing our worm casts and worms with friends and inspired quite a few to do what we do. So we can definitely say this is one of the easiest, most enjoyable thing you can do for a more sustainable life.
If you are completely new to this, you’ll find compost worms are very easy to take care of. Just start slowly, don’t overfeed and follow a couple of rules, or read our full guide here. And don’t worry, you can still go on holidays for a few weeks and come back to your worm team perfectly happy.
If your veg and fruit scraps used to end up in the bin you’ll be pleased that your bin is no longer a smelly dump. Instead, the worms do their job and turn it into nice, rich earth smelling worm casts (those are actually worm poo – but that might put you off so we go with the better smelling term).
The reward is feeling genuinely good about yourself for not only having less waste leaving your house to landfill but also creating a new resource, namely super rich soil improver and fertiliser for plants. If you don’t have plants or friends who do you can always give some worm cast love to a tree in your neighbourhood.
For someone expereinced with DIY wormeries these here will probably be a gift they make themselves: no more soggy, bad smelling bins. Moisture levels are much easier to monitor, the stacking system allows for better monitoring and harvest. And, let’s face it, they do look better than most DIY creations.
Indoor Wormeries Reviewed
Best in Style: Urbalive Worm Farm Kit
When bringing things into your home you do want it to look the part and this is by far the most stylish wormery currently available in the UK. It does look more like a piece of furniture than a wormery. The legs and handle are real wood and the bin comes in a nice range of comfy home colours of lime green, grey or cream.
The tap to drain any leachate is hidden from view and still easy to reach and use.
Does it also work well? It certainly does. It shares a stackable design with the other wormeries reviewed on this page. You start by adding bedding material to the bottom tray. This is included in the kit in the shape of a coir block that needs to be soaked in water to fluff up and create a moist, organic environment for your composting worms.
You might not be able to add all your food waste right from the beginning but add only about half of what your worms weigh. As the bin becomes more established you can add more food waste. Each tray holds up to 10 litres of compost and/or worm casts.
We liked that the lid when turned upside down is designed to be used as a holding place when you want to lift a tray and need a spot to put it. This prevents a mess because there will be invariably some worms hanging out from that tray as well as worm casts. Using the lid means everything gets caught, nothing lost and the place stays tidy.
| Pros | Cons |
| Design and Looks: You can see why this wormery has won a design award. Even though the trays and bottom bin are plastic it has a wellmade, comfy feel. The choice of colours should make it possible to find one to please the most demanding interior designer. Ease of use: Assembly right out of the box is easy. The inner brown cardboard box can be used as worm food and bedding for the worms. The kit has everything to start and maintain the worm bin, you can choose to have worms included with your order. You can use the lid to hold the moisture mat when you add food or hold the tray when you want to check on the mesh layer and sump underneath. |
Ventilation: The lid has a row of tiny ventilation holes all around which doesn’t quite seem to be enough for more moisture to evaporate and more air to circulate. We enlarged them a little and it seems to be working better with less moisture trapped inside.
Price: About double the price of the WormBox |
Conclusion:
The Urbalive wormery is a great indoor worm composting kit and best when you want a designer piece in your kitchen that does both: looking fab and works.
Best Buy and Movable Wormery: WormBox
This wormery comes from ‘Ferme Lombriculture du Moutta, a worm farm in the South of France not far from the Pyrenees. They have heaps of experience with worm composting on a small and large scale, so you can expect this to show in their wormery.
The bin scores on the eco side of things for being made of recycled plastic. And it has a couple of features other bins don’t provide.
The bin is mounted onto a set of very strong wheels that can support up to 100kg. This means the bin can be easily moved out of the way for instance for cleaning the floor underneath or if you know you need to move the bin to different places fairly frequently. It also means it can be used as a seat for your kids or yourself, weight permitting, of course.
Whether you are a small or large household, this could work well for you. Just adjust the number of trays you buy. Or start with two if you are not quite sure, yet and you can purchase additional ones later.
| Pros | Cons |
| Price: very good value for a great design and added features you get with a strong wheel base, option to use as seat and large capacity per tray Design: The Wormbox is easy to use right out of the box. Assembly is easy. The recycled plastic has a sturdy, reliable feel to it. Ease of use: Worms can be ordered with the wormBox to get you started Durability: The recycled plastic feels strong and is easy to clean. Colour Choice: Basically all the colours of the rainbow are available to choose from to add a touch of fun to your home. |
Worms not included: Worms will have to be ordered separately. Although Ferme du Moutta also sells those via Amazon, so you could place an order together. |
Conclusion:
The Worm Box is a great indoor wormery, especially at this price. It bridges the gap between the boxy more utilitarian looking semi-indoor wormeries and adds a couple of functions which others can’t provide.
Best for Countertops: Stainless Steel Wormery
While the Urbalive looks like a piece of furniture the Stainless Steel Wormery can be easily mistaken for a cooking appliance and looks like it belongs on a countertop in your kitchen.
This system is different from the other wormeries on this page in that it has only one chamber to collect food waste. Imagine one bucket with drainage and you get the picture. This means this composter will be used slightly different from a stackable wormery.
You could just limit yourself to harvesting the leachate which is easy to do. Or you will have to leave this every now and then to let worms finish composting and then harvest all of the worm casts every few months. This design is not suitable for larger amounts of food waste as it will fill up too quickly.
At 30 ltr this system and size is perfect for a 2 to 3 person household. As with all bucket or tub shaped wormeries it’s not easy to monitor conditions in the wormery, especially in the lower layers.
However, it does do the job of taking in veg and fruit scraps for worms to feed on right there where the waste originates: in the kitchen.
| Pros | Cons |
| Design: Very functional, hygienic design that blends in nicely with a kitchen interior. Set and forget system: Once you found your flow with this bin it will be a nice system on the side that keeps taking care of your food waste and turns it into leachate, a potent liquid fertilizer for plants. Smallest footprint of all indoor wormeries so great option when there isn’t much floor space available. Ease of Use: Once it is set up it’s as easy as opening the lid and add food waste and draining the leachate using the tap. Durability: Using stainless steel means that this will last you forever. The tap has an reassuring industrial feel, too. |
Harvesting of worm casts is not as easy as with a stackable system. However, this you will probably only do this every 8-10 months. (Instructions are included) |
Conclusion:
The Stainless Steel Wormery is best for households where there isn’t that much food waste or if you have an outdoor composter to take care of the rest. It does look perfectly at home in a kitchen and is great if you don’t have much space.
Related Article: Best Wormeries indoors and outdoors in the UK
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