Introduce cool elements in worm composter : summer Menu !
Consider refrigerating kitchen scraps before adding them to the composter. This cools the composter while avoiding issues associated with frozen waste. Additionally, you can place ice packs or frozen water bottles on top of the composter or within the waste, but be cautious of moisture buildup.
Be careful : do not put the waste in the deep freezer to cool down the composter afterwards.
Indeed, kitchen scraps contain a lot of water. When it turns into ice, the frozen water breaks the cell membranes. Then, the thawing process releases a lot of water very quickly and this can hamper the composting process.
The evaporation has a cooling effect. At school, we were told that water needs some energy – heat – to change from the fluid to the gaseous state. So when water evaporates, it cools down the composter. It absorbs the heat and turns itself into a low-temperature vapor.
If your composter is very well ventilated, you may think of putting a wet cloth or pieces of brown cardboard at the top of the compost. The ventilation will allow evaporation which will cool down the place a little bit. But forget about it if the whole system is not well ventilated because it would only add some more moisture and that’s not something you want.
Another strategy is to put an ice pack or a frozen water bottle outside on top of the composter or just on the waste inside. But be careful because it will also bring some moisture from condensation. So do not hesitate to add quite a lot of pieces of dry brown cardboard.
