Dana Davis/NYT Wirecutter

By Sabine Heinlein

In the name of journalistic rigor, I recently invited dozens of worms into my New York City living room to harvest their poop.

Yes, you read that correctly. It all began with the idea to test food recyclers. Often erroneously referred to as countertop composters, these machines claim to turn you into an eco-savior with the push of a button. Skeptical but curious, I dove into a six-month, worm-riddled quest.

I consulted more than a dozen experts, chopped and processed over a hundred pounds of vegetable scraps, sent the dehydrated output to an agricultural lab, conducted a plant growth experiment in my basement, and, yes, even started a worm farm, harvesting my own pet rabbit’s droppings as manure for my new roommates.

READ THE STORY

Let me tell you about my worm farm→

One of my goals was to compare the natural fertilization power of worm castings—euphemistically referred to as “black gold”—against the ostensible fertilization benefits of these in-home food recyclers. Would a worm bin or a food recycler be a viable and more convenient alternative to the backyard composting I’ve been doing for over a decade? And how much effort would it take to keep my worms alive and happy?

In the end, the worm farm was a hobby I didn’t need. At one point, the worms started escaping their bin, and my husband and I would step on their desiccated corpses when we got up in the mornings.

The worms didn’t stand a chance against the mountain of veggie scraps our vegetarian household produced and, worse, the contraption invited a fruit-fly infestation into our living room. Exhausted, I called it quits after four months and released my remaining extended worm family into my backyard compost.

And as for those countertop composters? They’re a no for us, too. But we do have plenty of alternative recommendations for better ways to handle your food waste.

My winding journey to debunk food recyclers’ claims→

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Marki Williams/NYT Wirecutter

It’s a good idea to start composting if you can. Compost enhances soil nutrition, improving conditions for your garden and houseplants and helping them retain water. Plus, collecting scraps for composting means you’ll throw out fewer food scraps, which has climate change benefits. And it’ll help to curb trash smells. We spoke with seven experts about how to start composting—no matter where you live.

How to avoid common composting mistakes→

We cleaned a filthy old rug on a Queens sidewalk. It was extremely satisfying. Restoring an antique rug to its former luster isn’t as hard as you might think, as long as you aren’t afraid to get a little wet→

How to care for a pet rabbit Rabbits are adorable and intelligent pets, but they’re also high-maintenance. Here’s how to properly raise them→

We spent a weekend with dozens of vacuum enthusiasts. Here’s what we learned. It was weird. It was fun→

Thanks for reading.

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