Compact Composting With a Conscience
We are very excited (and proud) to announce the launch of our first PC-brand worm composting system: the Lil’ Wiggler Lab - a small, lightweight, stacking bucket system made in Canada, primarily from ocean waste plastic!
Education is at the heart of everything we do. We had teachers and students in mind when we first designed the system, so we knew that we not only needed to create an amazing product, but that we also needed to provide excellent education and support.
Since the earliest days of Pacific Composting - before the venture even had an official name (and well before we had officially launched) - testing out a wide range of composting systems has been a top priority; the main goals being to determine what systems are worth recommending, and what systems are worth selling ourselves.
This process has made us realize:
- Many composting systems are mass-produced overseas, with little concern for environmental impact, or even much in the way of consideration or care for the composting process itself.
- Most of the composting systems we’ve tested fall short of our expectations, even just based on design and functionality.
Bottom-line, it’s been very difficult to find systems that check off enough boxes for us to feel good about recommending, let alone selling them ourselves.
This is why we have always had a fairly modest selection of systems (we use, love, and are happy to recommend to others) available for sale on our website.
This led us to the idea of creating our own systems - starting with a small-scale worm composting bin.
We wanted a system:
- Designed by us (but with some inspiration from others).
- Packaged as a complete kit, with everything needed to get started, including our own supplies, education, and support.
- That is affordable, easy to use, and perfectly suited for classroom settings.
- Made in Canada, using recycled materials and supplies mostly sourced from Canada.
- We could stand behind and feel proud to sell.
It was a tall order, and a long road, with some challenges along the way…but we got there in the end!
The turning point came when we found a source for buckets not only made in Canada, but made almost entirely from recycled fishing rope plastic.
The amazing organization behind this material is Ocean Legacy.
Ocean Legacy Foundation is a BC-based nonprofit that recovers and turns marine plastics - from the ocean, shorelines and used marine gear - into a commercial recycled resin called Legacy Plastic™️. This in turn is used to make a wide range of products, including park benches, picnic tables, planters, garden tools…and of course, compost bins.
What’s In A Name?
As touched on, the Lil’ Wiggler Lab was originally designed with the classroom setting in mind - a vermicomposting vehicle of discovery, exploration and experimentation. Over time, we’ve come to realize that this is a system that’s very well-suited for anyone wanting to test the waters of worm composting on a small scale.
We’ve always felt that the best way to get started with vermicomposting - and to increase your chances of long-term success - is to view the process as a fun experiment, especially early on.
The Lil’ Wiggler Lab offers a great way to do exactly that!
Why Use Buckets?
Plastic buckets are fantastic for saving space…but they’re usually not ideal vessels for worm composting. Their surface area to depth ratio is far too low for proper oxygenation and moisture management, and they almost always end up swampy in the bottom as a result.
Unless they have some modifications!
Our DIY In-Ground Worm Composter design offers some clues about why the Lil’ Wiggler Lab works as well as it does. It mostly comes down to drainage and aeration. As long as a system allows you to remove excess moisture, while providing good airflow, you should be able to support the worms and other organisms (and the vermicomposting process as a whole).
Our Own Lil’ Wiggler Testing
It’s one thing to design and build a system, but another thing altogether to launch a product publicly with the confidence that it works effectively. We knew all the way along that an important part of the process would involve fairly extensive testing of the system ourselves (which helps to explain why it has taken more than a year of planning and development to get this fairly “simple” system launched).
Our own internal testing, along with the testing done by a small number of PC friends (so far) has been invaluable for highlighting some areas in need of improvement/tweaking ahead of the launch.
We are very excited about getting the Lil’ Wiggler Lab “out there” for people to start using, and look forward to the feedback from our ‘early adopters’!
Let’s Celebrate, Eh!
We’ve never been big on hype. We rarely brag.
But…
The Lil’ Wiggler Lab may very well be the most Canadian, environmentally-conscious worm composting system currently on the market! 😆
And we’d love nothing more than to see it helping a lot more people discover the amazing process of vermicomposting!
To celebrate the launch of the Lil’ Wiggler Lab, we’re offering a sale price from September 12 to October 11, 2026.
To learn more about the system and see what’s included in your Lil’ Wiggler Lab kit, check out: Setting Up Your Lil' Wiggler Lab