Andilee Warner of Carbondale is known as the �compost queen� of Southern Illinois University for starting a composting facility at the university where 2 million red wriggler earthworms are used to digest more than 1,000 pounds of food per day from the residence halls. The process, known as vermicomposting, is a pilot project between the recycling center and the university�s agriculture department. By diverting the material to the vermicomposting facility instead of sending it to the Jackson County Landfill, the earthworms reduce the University's removal costs and increase the landfill's longevity. The project, funded through a combination of state and county grants, is the first application of a university using vermicomposting in Illinois and has been a successful means of reducing waste. |