Turd-eating worms clear air around Canadian toilets

SAINT-HYACINTHE, Canada, (AFP) - Anyone relying on their nose to guide them to a toilet at Quebec's La Providence golf course won't find one - that's because its outhouse is odorless.

Beneath a tidy wooden latrine on the grounds is an army of earthworms that churn decaying organic materials into compost.

The worm-powered design is a first of its kind in North America, according to Ecosphere Technologies international sales representative Frederic Neau. It was developed near Nyons, France.

500g of Eisenia fetida or red wiggler worms native to Europe imported from France and raised locally by Helene Beaumont are placed between layers of dung and straw in an underground space beneath the toilet.