Sure, the picture's a little icky — slimy creatures squiggling around in decomposing fruit peels — but hold that "Yuck!" and "Eewwwwww!"

While the thought of worms squirming in a kitchen may make some cringe, the image doesn't faze Mindy Jaffe, who's encouraging others to give these little eco-helpers a chance.

In fact, she's got a bin filled with several thousand in her tiny Waikiki studio apartment.

"They now eat all my household waste; about 10 pounds of food waste a week," Jaffe said.

Jaffe, 55, is among scores of Island residents inviting these creepy-crawlies into their homes, thanks to vermicomposting, an alternative waste-management process that involves decomposing organic materials with the help of worms — and not your typical earthworms.

Worm composting decreases the amount of waste trashed — things like food scraps, coffee grinds, tea bags, newspapers, cardboard and even junk mail — which ultimately end up going into the sewer system and ocean, or crowding landfills, said Jaffe, owner of Waikiki Worm Co., which retails worms and bins for vermicomposting.

"Obviously, we do need landfills and we do need sewage treatment plants and all these things, but we can pull out a lot of this material ourselves and we don't have to wait for the government to do it," said Jaffe, a former state lawmaker. "We can do it as individuals."

An added bonus: the organic waste eaten by the worms is processed into vermicast, a nutrient-rich fertilizer often referred to as "gardener's gold," Jaffe said. Vermicomposting also is odorless and can be done in a bin the size of a kitchen garbage can, or even smaller.

And the worm, er, word, is getting out.

Jaffe started her business in January and began holding monthly informational workshops a few months later. Since then, attendance has grown from 12 students in April to 85 last month.

Jaffe also does class presentations and teachers' workshops. And the vermi-demand, paired with a limited supply of worms, has led to a waiting period for worms, Jaffe said.

Lloyd Nakamura, a third-grade teacher at Wai'alae School, helped Jaffe organize a teachers' worm workshop last month that drew 21 teachers islandwide.

Nakamura has incorporated vermicomposting into his science curriculum and sees the process as a potential waste-management tool for the entire school.

WORMS 101

The worms raised for vermicomposting, a species called Perionyx excavatus, also are called Indian blues, Malaysian blues or blueworms.

The worms, which grow up to 3 or 4 inches long, are surface dwellers that live on the top layer of soil and eat decaying material.

Compost worms thrive in dense colonies, doubling in population every three months. But the worms stop reproducing when they run out of space.

Blueworms should not be confused with nightcrawlers or other soil-dwelling worms, which require a soil environment to survive. Placing such worms in a worm bin — and conversely, placing composting worms in a garden — will kill them, Jaffe said.

Worms used for vermicomposting must be bred and raised in Hawai'i. The importation of worms to Hawai'i from the Mainland or other countries is against the law and can lead to a fine of up to $25,000, Jaffe said.

"The issue with the worms, about bringing them in, is not the worms themselves," she said. "It's that they can bring in their gut the larvae of the cluster fly, and the cluster fly is an invasive species."

Jaffe is among just a few certified compost worm breeders statewide. There are others on the Big Island and Maui.

GETTING STARTED

Interested vermicomposters should attend an informational workshop before getting started, Jaffe said. The cost of a beginner's workshop, mini worm bin and a handful of about 50 worms is about $20, she said.

While the process may be learned via written material that Jaffe can mail out, or from information available online, it really helps to see it done, she said.

"The average person can learn this whole thing easily — build a mini bin and learn all about the worms — in an hour and a half," she said.

After Farrington High science teacher Andrea Barnes attended one of Jaffe's workshops, she started bins in her classroom and at home. "It really appealed to me, especially because I have a yard and I knew the value of the wormcasts," said Barnes, 52, of 'Aiea.

The vermicomposting process involves creating a worm bin, which can be made out of any type of container, including an old dresser drawer or rubber storage container.

After drilling holes on the bottom of the bin for drainage, it needs to be filled with bedding. This generally is a mix of damp, shredded cardboard and paper.

The bedding then has to be mixed with old bedding from the breeder to inoculate the bin with necessary micro-organisms.

"You've got to have all those microscopic critters in there to start the decomposition process," Jaffe said.

After introducing worms and the appropriate organic wastes on the bin, cover it with more damp, shredded newspapers. The worms should be fed lightly for the first couple weeks because an ecosystem needs to form within the bedding and food waste.

After several months, the bins will be ready to be harvested of the worm's vermicast and re-bedded with fresh material.

"One of the big, tough things about doing worms is you have to be patient, because natural processes take time," Jaffe said.

Reach Zenaida Serrano at zserrano@honoluluadvertiser.com.