An Insight into Worms and Sustainability for Singapore (C1 NE Learning Journey)

Written by: Jiang Xindi (25S6H)

Edited by: Megan Lim (24S6E)

Class 25S6H posing with their bags of earthworms

On 17 and 18 February 2025, the newly joined C1 students embarked on learning journeys with their respective classes in exploration of various themes, including sustainability—a vital element in Singapore’s continued development. One of them was my class’ opportunity to visit Werms.Inc, an insect farm located at Pasir Panjang that upcycles food waste into animal feed and fertilisers for hobbyists all around Singapore.

The tray of mealworms displayed

As trays of mealworms were being loaded upon tables, it was oddly fascinating watching the beetle larvae clamber atop lettuce leaves to munch through the greens. However, it struck me even more when our host, Michelle, shared that the main food source of these mealworms is actually the 30 to 50kg worth of unwanted lettuce discarded by the nearby wholesale centre daily. In addition, she also said that around seven tons of fruits and vegetables can be disposed of by a single wholesale centre per day, an amount sufficient to feed nearly 40,000 people. 

I was taken aback by the sheer scale of these statistics. Despite having a rough idea of how serious food waste is in Singapore—thanks to the assembly talks in school—it never occurred to me that the issue was this pressing, and my classmates too were left stunned. This marked our first takeaway from the session, and it was definitely not the last.

The crate of crickets shown

After the introduction to mealworms, crickets were also brought out for us to observe. Like the mealworms, they are a source of live feeders for animals that Werms Inc. breed and sell from more sustainable means. We learnt to distinguish between females and males, and also understood more about their territorial tendencies. 

In the final segment of our session, we participated in a hands-on activity to create our own vermicompost, which is essentially the product obtained from the decomposition of waste materials by earthworms. We mixed and kneaded dirt and water in our containers to achieve the optimal moisture, and added lettuce leaves as a source of food for the worms. The test of courage came when we had to pick—with our bare hands—live, squirming worms from a plastic crate into our containers. Despite the fear, we grew to appreciate some behavioural characteristics of the worms, including how undeniably cute they were curled into balls after being held for too long. In the end, each of us returned home not only content with our new pets and precious compost, but also filled with meaningful reflections from the programme.   

Despite the miniature chaos of it all, with soil scattered on tables and stuck in our fingernails, it was an extremely eye-opening experience. We not only learnt more about the biological aspects of these insects, including their life cycles and specific diets, but also gained a lot more insight on the food waste situation in Singapore, along with the efforts made to raise awareness and improve sustainability.

This learning journey has truly been a fruitful one, and my class thoroughly enjoyed the programme. Regardless of the different themes explored by each class, for instance, national security, cultural identity and tranditions etc., the lessons and information the C1s gained from the trip will create a long-lasting impact, just like how the earthworms I brought back continue to thrive, creating useful compost for my potted plants out of leftover feeds.