CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Problems with recycling equipment at Charlotte Douglas International Airport have prompted officials to bring in one million worms to eat leftover food.
The Charlotte Observer reported (http://bit.ly/1ikqiVL) that the airport's new recycling center has been delayed for more than a year.
Assistant Aviation Director Mark Wiebke says the airport obtained a composting permit Monday from the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
Wiebke says the airport will begin feeding food scraps to the worms in the next few days. The worms' waste will be used as fertilizer on the airport grounds.
The recycling center opened in June 2012 but has had problems with cost overruns and equipment breakdowns. The center is designed to reduce the 10,000 tons of waste the airport sends to a landfill each year.