We are surrounded by plastic! From the laptops and cell phones you're using right now to coffee cups and clothing. Admittedly, it’s versatile and cheap to make. We get it. But that coffee cup is going to sit in a landfill for the next 500 years before it turns back into dirt, and in that time it will shed thousands of particles called “microplastics”. This timeline threatens us with mountains of plastic filling landfills, clogging rivers, and dirtying our cities (who else saw a grocery bag in a tree today?). And this is not even touching the effects microplastics are having on ourselves and our environment.

 

Micro- and nanoplastics are dangerous, so-tiny-they’re-invisible, particles of plastic shed by our clothes, food containers, and basically everything else. They’re so small that they end up in our bloodstream where our bodies can’t get rid of them! They‘ve been linked to an increased risk of cancer, infertility, serious heart conditions, and can deliver other dangerous substances to our bloodstream such as heavy metals and bacteria. And the worst part? They’re already everywhere. You already have them in your bloodstream. And so does every plant and animal, including that grass-fed beef you bought and the tomatoes you grew in your garden. We humans have put so much plastic into the world that nanoplastics are in the very air we breathe. But WriggleBrew and other companies are doing something about it and we’re doing it fast.

Our goal is to get rid of as much plastic as possible with no traces left behind. We don’t even want to see a chemical fingerprint of plastic when we’re done recycling! And to be transparent: we’ve done just that. We’ve found a way to take certain types of plastic (grocery bags, bottles, caps, etc) and turn them from solid plastic into… worm poop.

Yes, you read that right. Worm poop. Maybe you’re here because you saw one of our videos or talked to one of the WriggleCrew and want to learn more because how do you turn my broken tupperware into worm poop? And it’s pretty complicated, so let's get started.

First we take plastic and we turn it back into the oils it’s made from. There are many different ways to do this but we choose to use pyrolyzation and biological processes. This turns solid plastic into this yellowish goop that is full of those dangerous nanoplastics and the even more dangerous long-chain carbon molecules (see the movie Deep Waters with Mark Ruffalo for an entertaining lesson on those, or you can click here). We are not the first company to think of doing this and we won’t be the last, but we are the first to pair it with something spectacular: worms!

Worms are amazing. We’re big fans of those wriggly little guys over here (if you can’t tell). They look at that processed yellow goop and go “I can eat that”. And then they do. And the magic in their little tube stomachs turns those long-chain molecules back into organic molecules that plants can use for food. There is no chemical difference between the worm poop from worms fed with high quality compost and the worm poop from those fed high quality compost and deconstructed plastic goop. We’ve run three third party* tests.

*third-party tests means we sent samples out to unaffiliated laboratories around the US for chemical analysis. This is extremely important because those labs have no reason to lie or fudge results in our favor, meaning if there were plastics to be found in the worm poop we sent them they would find it. But they didn’t- three different companies could not find plastic in the worm poop. That’s pretty significant.

And if you’re frustrated by my vagueness, I get it. We have several important patents pending so until those are complete I cannot give you more than this basic information, I’m sorry. We truly want the world to know what we’re doing and how, but we also want to be sure this technology can be used to support our families. 

During their research into that would eventually turn into our amazing Growth & Rescue All-Purpose fertilizer, Sam and Gabe found scientific papers describing an odd behavior observed in superworms. These worms, under certain conditions, were seen eating plastic. This coupled with the rest of their worm-centered research gave them the idea- what if we could use worms to recycle plastic? So with the help of Sam’s uncle, John Baker, they spent months writing up a research plan and grant application centered around worm plastic recycling. They sent it off to the National Science Foundation [NSF] and waited. And waited. And nearly 8 months later, they found out that they were awarded 200,000 to start their research! 

They immediately got to work. There were some growing pains, worm shipment issues, and a time crunch, but it worked! Wormlando Tower was born, an apartment complex of superworms all eating their little hearts out. Literally- the plastic was killing them. Many superworms gave their buggy lives to research in those first months. 

It was the problem that the research papers couldn’t get past. But Gabe, our head scientist and veritable genius, had an idea. It took more equipment, learning curves, and heroic superworm deaths but he soon found his answer and it was astounding! With that knowledge he created the first worm-inspired bioreactors, took styrofoam, and turned it into Goop! Yay Goop!

They then fed that goop to the worms and when that was a success, Gabe and Sam decided to go for the next round of NSF grant rewards and they won 1.2 million dollars to continue our research. And that’s where we are today!

Holistic Problem-Solving

Founders Sam Baker & Gabe Degalia created WriggleBrew to solve an issue called Red Tide, aka toxic algae blooms that occur in rivers, lakes, and oceans due to our overuse of synthetic nitrogen fertilizers.

That issue sparked a bigger question: Can we make a fertilizer that includes everything a plant needs to grow better than a synthetic fertilizer, while improving soil health and preventing infestations?

Plants have very specific needs and right now people are buying 3 or more products just to meet them! (and many of those don't work)

Research, Testing Research

Inspired by a youtube video, Sam & Gabe took months raising worms, testing castings, researching microbes, growing (and killing) plants, testing existing products, and talking to farmers.

They realized that high quality worm castings couldn’t do it all- not in a way that could reach potentially billions of people. Different batches of worm castings all had different levels of bacterial activity, and some were not safe for humans to touch with their bare hands!

Then came a year of testing different sterilization techniques to selectively keep the good bacteria and get rid of the bad and finally, we found a way to put those good microbes into a stasis while in the bottle that awaken as soon as they hit soil. That means there are microbes in every drop of Growth & Rescue!

Worms Bacteria Fungi and...Lobsters?

Gabe, a chemist with a strong interest and knowledge of biology, leaned into the research surrounding the symbiotic relationships between plants, bacteria, fungi, and even beneficial insects. He learned how plants have an immune system, just like us, that fights off diseases and pests to keep the plant healthy.

Gabe had solved the issue of complete nutrition and optimal soil health with worm castings & microbes. But what about protecting plants against pests and disease? After Sam spoke with some local worm farmers about the problem, it clicked- chitin! Lobster & crab chitin doesn’t set off human allergies, but it does boost the immune system of plants really well! So far it's proved effective against thrips, fungus gnats, mealy bugs, spider mites, and more!