To many, worms are wriggly little critters that pop out of the ground on rainy days. To others, they are a useful source for cutting down on household waste.

Every kitchen generates food scraps for disposal. A viable alternative to disposing of the scraps in the garbage or sewer system is to compost them.

Yvonne McCormick, ISU Extension, will lead the “Create Your Own Vermicomposting Bin” workshop on Thursday at Kendall Young Library at 6:30 p.m. The workshop is free and open to the public.

McCormick will teach attendees how to create their own vermicomposting bin.

With a vermicomposting bin, red wiggler worms compost kitchen scraps. The resulting material is beneficial to gardens and potted plants.

Vermicomposting provides a variety of benefits:

It is organic. There are no harmful chemicals produced by the worms and the compost doesn’t have to be mixed with anything.

The compost is enriched with bacteria and microbes. This helps plants become more disease resistant and also repel certain plant pests.

Nutrients in abundance. Compost nutrients are also more easily absorbed by plant matter.

A smaller need for pesticides. Continued use of composts makes healthier plants and better soil.

Better plant growth. The distribution of compost encourages and strengthens root growth.

High amount of water retention.

Nutrients are released at a slower rate, giving the plant a better chance for growth and survival.