Compost bins and worm farms

You can be more sustainable and reduce the amount of waste that goes to landfill by using worm farms and compost bins.

More than half of household waste is made up of food and garden scraps.

Using a worm farm or compost bin helps the environment by significantly reducing the amount of waste that is thrown away.

How to order

1. Order a worm farm or compost bin online. Click on 'Sustainability and recycling' then 'Order a compost bin/worm farm'. 

2. Pay for your worm farm or compost bin:

  • over the phone by credit card
  • in person at one of our customer service centres (cash, card or cheque)
  • post a cheque to Yarra City Council, PO Box 168, Richmond VIC 3121

3. Pick up your worm farm or compost bin. 

Bin collection 

You can collect from our depot, corner of Roseneath and Gray streets, Clifton Hill. Monday to Friday 8.30am to 2.30pm.

You will need to bring your receipt of payment.

Available worm farms

Hungry bin worm farm

Dimensions: About the size of a small wheelie bin. Click on the link above to read more about this product.
Cost: $286.30

Reln worm farm

Dimensions: L 570mm X W 395mm X H 640mm
Cost: $86.90

What is worm farming?

Worm farming is when you feed fruit and vegetable scraps to compost worms. There are 3 common types of compost worms: tiger worms, Indian blues and red wrigglers. These worms eat their body weight in a single day and can double in population every 2 to 3 months.

The worms produce castings that make a great fertiliser for gardens and indoor plants. Keeping a worm farm requires minimal maintenance and is ideal for people living in flats or in houses with small backyards.

How do I worm farm?

You can purchase a variety of different worm farms from nurseries and hardware stores or you can make your own.

Once you have your worm farm and compost worms, all you need to do is add your fruit and vegetable scraps each week. Add a small amount of food in the first week and increase this amount gradually over six months. Make sure to chop up the food first and include a variety of fruits and vegetables.

Compost worms will also eat coffee grinds, paper, leaves and even damp cardboard. Do not add onions, garlic and chilli or acidic food such as oranges or lemons.

Avoid meat and dairy foods or materials contaminated with toxic chemicals such as sawdust from treated wood. If uneaten food remains in the farm, you will know you have overfed the worms.

Place a few layers of newspaper on top of the food to keep the moisture in your worm farm. Pour some water on the newspaper every few days during summer to prevent the worm farm from drying out.

For more information about worm farms visit Sustainability Victoria’s website

Available compost bins

220L compost bin
Dimensions: W 770mm X H 780mm
Cost: $35.80

What is composting?

Composting is when household food scraps and garden waste is broken down to create a dark soil. This soil is nutrient-rich and provides an excellent fertiliser for your garden.

How do I compost?

Choose a shady spot in your garden. Turn your compost pile regularly, breaking up clumps of food waste or adding twigs and newspapers to increase air spaces. Keep it moist, but not wet.

Ensure you feed it the right food - almost anything organic can be composted, including fruit and vegetable. scraps, egg shells, tea leaves and bags, ground coffee, grass clippings, garden clippings, cut flowers and old potting mix, animal and human hair, vacuum cleaner dust and newspapers.

Meat and dairy products are not recommended as they don’t break down easily, can rot and make your compost smell and will attract vermin. Animal manures, metals, plastics, glass and magazines are not recommended either.

Healthy compost needs a balanced diet of nitrogen and carbon. Waste high in nitrogen includes food scraps and grass clippings and waste high in carbon includes paper, sawdust, straw and leaves.

Building your compost

There are a number of methods for building your compost and each will take a different amount of time:

add 10cm layers of vegetable and fruit scraps, grass clippings, leaves and shredded newspaper, covering each layer with a thin layer of soil and a small amount of fertiliser. Your compost will be ready in three to six months, but will take less time if it is turned regularly.

All together: add saved kitchen and garden waste to your compost at once and turn several times a week. This generates a lot of heat, making your compost ready in 3 to 6 weeks.

Compost Worms: Layer your compost as usual but add compost worms. The worms will turn the heap for you making your compost ready in approximately 3 months. Many nurseries and hardware stores sell compost worms.

You will know your compost is ready to use when it is dark and crumbly. Always remember to wear gloves when handling the compost and adding the soil to your garden.

For more information about compost visit Sustainability Victoria’s website.