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Wastenot Farms: Creating something good from organic waste

May 16, 2024   ·   0 Comments

By Brian Lockhart

Many people see food and organic waste as garbage – Jocelyn Molyneux of Wastenot Farms in Mono sees solutions and possibilities.

Wastenot Farms is a vermicomposting biorefinery where worms do the majority of the work by eating organic material and turning it into valuable fertilizer for gardens and plants.

These aren’t your typical earthworms. They are Red Wigglers, the best type of worms to use for composting because they will eat and process anything organic.

While Red Wigglers are not a native species in Canada, they are not considered a risk because they do not have any kind of negative environmental impact.  

Jocelyn started her career in waste management after achieving a Masters Degree in applied environmental science.

However, she was not impressed by the way the company she was working for was cutting corners to turn a profit.

“That’s what I studied in my Masters program – who is willing to put in the extra effort?” Jocelyn explained. “With pretty much everything in environmental studies, it’s more effort or more cost because you are taking responsibility. I studied why people sometimes go the extra mile, and why they do not.”

Jocelyn began working with worms in a very small way.

“I had some of these Red Wiggler worms in a backyard composter,” she explained. “I put some food waste out, and two days later the food waste was gone. I had this ‘light bulb’ moment where I thought this is so easy, the worms are doing all the work. My next thought was, ‘why aren’t we doing this on a commercial scale? I knew there was a demand for this service in tenant offices in larger buildings downtown (Toronto).”

She started doing the composting for many of these large buildings.

Currently, the Wastenot Farms operation employs close to 3 million Red Wigglers that eat organic waste material and produce manure that has the nutrients that help plants thrive. It is a totally natural process that turns waste into a viable product.

Its not a simple as it sounds to produce a quality product all the time.

Alana Maule, Wastenot Farms operation manager, has a degree in molecular biology and does research and testing to ensure quality control.

The farm sources raw materials from a variety of other businesses that produce organic waste. The worms will eat and process anything organic. They eat everything from coffee grounds to waste wool from a sheep farm.

Oddly enough, the one material the worms won’t eat is seeds. They instinctively know that seeds belong in the ground for a purpose.  

“They are mother nature’s intestines,” Jocelyn said of the way the worms process the waste.

Finding new workers isn’t necessary as the worms naturally reproduce and the workforce is constantly being replaced and growing.

The end result is high value soil additives that are produced in the most natural way possible.

Adding just one handful of manure to your potted plants will produce good results and help a plant thrive.

The brand name for the final product is Jocelyn’s Soil Booster. The products are sold locally at Harmony Whole Foods in Orangeville, Rock Garden Farms in Caledon, Alliston Botanix, and the Hockley General Store in Mono. 

Products are also available online through Amazon.  

You can learn more about Wastenot Farms and their products by visiting online at www.wastenotfarms.com

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