@calliandra I don't use food scraps as I am trying to reproduce there local environment to a degree . As for bins I always have at least 1 ageing and one to 2 starting This year I am aiming for 4 . Towards the end of the wet season is the best time for me to gather them from the wild . The soil is saturated so the are just under leaf litter ect . I do start with soil in the bins and add to that . I think the bins would have a more balanced microbe and fungi herd in the soil by using what is around me . Because of the rain forest around me I take notice of the forest floor and how it sustains forest life , more so what the worms are eating . The soil in the forest is very poor and rocky , not lush soil as a lot of people think . So how do the trees get so big . -- Worms --Microbes -- Fungi -- This is what I am trying to reproduce . This is my reason for not using food scraps . ---- I do not have any proof of what I am doing is any better than using food scraps . But I can't argue with what I see around me .