LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A Lincoln man has opened a commercial worm farm that takes discarded food waste and turns it into a compost product with the creature’s help.

Jeremiah Picard’s company opened in September to reduce the volume of waste that goes to the city landfill, to create a natural soil-enhancing product for school and community gardens, and to teach students about the benefits of composting.

Through the company’s vermiculture process, Picard creates worm castings, a natural fertilizer that helps plants use nutrients that are already present in the soil. Worm castings are the undigested material, soil and bacteria excreted by a worm after it eats the food scraps.

Picard says the company has diverted 75,000 pounds of food waste from the city landfill so far.