When are human waste worm castings free of pathogens

When is the human waste worm casings technically free of pathogens? Say I used an at home worm composter, would the casings in the bottom tray be safe to use or would I still need to quarantine them for 2 years before using them in my garden?

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Jan 15, 2025
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by: Stephan

Hello,

a great way to make sure that your human waste is free of harmful pathogens would be to compost it in a first step thermophilically for at least 24 hours at a temperature of at least 50 degrees Celsius (122Fahrenheit) before feeding it to worms in a worm bin. The hotter the compost the quicker it will kill the potentially harmful pathogens it might contain.

After the worm composting step your human waste should be free of harmful pathogens but if you want to go the extra mile, you can let it mature for another 12 to 24 months.

As a great source of information about composting human waste, I suggest the book

The Humanure Handbook by Joseph Jenkins.

Kind regards and God's blessings.

Stephan Kloppert

Author of "How to start a profitable worm bin on a shoestring budget"

Editor of www.worm-composting-help.com

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