Wells Fargo of Beaverton purchases 15,000 red wiggler worms to eat

Daily Journal of Commerce (Portland, OR), Aug 15, 2005 by DJC Staff

Typically, businesses that get a worm are doomed to spend hours hunting it down, destroying it, and making sure it didn't permanently wipe out any important documents.

However, one Beaverton business has gotten 15,000 worms and is happy about it.

Through an effort initiated by its Corporate Properties department, Wells Fargo of Beaverton has purchased 15,000 red wiggler worms from a Cottage Grove farm and a special insulated, plastic tank for them to live in. A company team member spends about an hour each week feeding the worms and monitoring the tank's moisture and Ph levels.

Why? Apparently these critters will help the environment by eating all of the fresh fruit and vegetables left over from the food preparation process at the center's cafeteria, along with any spoiled edibles, and turning into compost.

The worms live in a mixture of dirt and clean wood shavings that Wells Fargo obtains from a nearby cabinet shop. The shop donates the shavings, which it normally has to pay to have hauled away for disposal. The worms also eat the shavings.

The waste, called castings, sift to the bottom of the tank where they can be easily collected. Wells Fargo plans to use the castings, highly prized by gardeners, to fertilize the grounds of the business and possibly some other Wells Fargo facilities nearby.

Wells Fargo's Oregon Regional Property manager Peggi Hawes got interested in the idea after reading an article in a regional sustainability newsletter about a worm project at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry. Hawes visited the OMSI operation and then decided to invest about $750 to start the Barnhart Center worm ranch in late July.

At this point I'm not sure if it will reduce our waste disposal costs, but it's the right thing to do, said Hawes.

The capacity of the worm ranch to dispose of the kitchen refuse will increase as the worms multiply.

Once this is up to full capacity, we'll be able to feed them 20 pounds a day, said Tom Rempfer, the Wells Fargo maintenance technician in charge of the worms.

The worms can eat coffee grounds, fruit and vegetables. Banana peels and citrus peels are a no-no.