Don’t you hate throwing out that banana that got a little too ripe or that avocado you just didn’t get around to eating in time?
Instead of sending that food to a landfill, the Solana Center for Environmental Innovation suggests you turn it into soil amendments or compost by feeding it to hungry worms.
Staff there can teach you the ins and outs of vermicomposting, or composting with worms.
To get started, of course, you’ll need some worms — red wigglers, to be exact, which you can buy at the Solana Center. You’ll also need a bin like the the ‘Worm Factory 360.’ That bin works well for people living in single-family homes, as well as condos and apartments.
Normally those bins retail for $109 — but if you live here in Encinitas, you can get one for $39 thanks to subsidies from various municipalities.
Once you have your worms and bin, you can also take advantage of the Solana Center's free composting classes and follow the composting blog for tips.
has also expanded its sales hours to Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sales are at their facility at For more information, visit solanacenter.org.