Bokashi Composting System: A Faster Way Of Eco-Friendly Gardening

From Earth911's Leon Kaye:

While composting has become more mainstream, not everyone has access to the space necessary for the maintenance of a composting bin.

Apartment dwellers and residents who live in condominium developments that have more rules than sense are a few examples of where composting is logistically difficult. And while more municipalities are allowing food waste to be included in green waste, that practice still has a while to scale. But a composting process with origins in Korea and now used in Japan for 30 years offers an option for the sustainable disposal of food waste.

Bokashi is a method of composting that can work for people who already live as green as possible in their small space but have no option to eliminate those pesky food scraps.

Bokashi composting is an effective, seamless and quick way to compost food waste in one’s home. In Japanese, Bokashi means “fermented organic matter.” Technically, the process is more fermentation than actual composting. Bokashi uses a particular group of microorganisms to anaerobically break down food waste. One advantage of the Bokashi system is that it can break down foods like meat, fish and dairy products that not only give off a rancid smell, but take a long time to break down. If done correctly, Bokashi can result in compost in as little as two weeks, depending on the local climate and soil biology.

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Another key to Bokashi’s success in the creation of compost is the wheat bran that is included in a composting kit. When opening the bag, the bran smells sweet like molasses. That sweetness soon turns into a mild pickled oder that is barely noticeable. Furthermore, the entire process occurs in an enclosed bin, which not only prevents odors from leaking, but also prevents rodents and other pests like insects from stealing your compost for dinner.

Layering is an important step in the Bokashi process. After an inch or so food scraps is spread in the bucket, users just need to sprinkle the bran on the food scraps. The process continues until the bin is full. Meanwhile any water that collects in the bin can be drained, diluted and poured into the ground to fertilized plants. Undiluted liquid can clear sink drains or septic systems. Once the fermented matter is ready, the compost can be added to a garden. The one caveat is that the finished product must be buried in order for it to turn into humus that in turn will revive the soil.

I saw Bokashi in action in the Middle East. During a trip to Dubai, I met Annette Duke, an administrative assistant at an international school. Long passionate about the environment but frustrated with few options to compost or recycle, Duke purchased a Bokashi kit through a local retailer. Composting is a huge challenge in Dubai in part because of the determined desert rats that will demolish a compost bin in a heartbeat.

Related: Making Progress in Dubai’s Recycling Desert

The extreme summer heat is also not conducive to composting. Then add the fact that most of Dubai’s environment is artificial: gardens in homes like the one in which Duke lives require massive amounts of top soil to be hauled in and spread above the desert sand.

But for Duke, the Bokashi process works and is a step in making her home a touch more sustainable. Now she and her husband, Paul Leslie, an educator at a local university, are composting and fermenting everything from tea bags to date pits to coffee grounds. And now she is creating a small cottage industry as she has her friends who live in apartments Bokashi so her garden of drought resistant grasses and flowers can thrive.

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Comments

[Chubby Chucks]

02:22 AM on 03/20/2013

I'm so fortunate, I just pass everything through a pig.

[Candida3]

05:18 PM on 01/21/2013

I through some old yeast into my compost bin once, it seem to speed things up but I also got some incredibly large maggots in it that season.

[cantbuyathrill]

01:25 AM on 01/12/2013

I've been making Bokashi compost all year, it's easy. My best practical tip is to write the date on top of the bucket for the 3 week wait period. I have 5 buckets in rotation and they all start to look alike after awhile. With the date on top, I know when to dig into trenches of my raised bed garden. I use 5 gallon buckets and screw-top lids from the paint section of the hardware store. The buckets can be stacked while curing.

[mothergrace]

06:29 PM on 05/07/2012

Well, phooey. If it has to be buried, I still can't use it for my balcony container garden very well.

[Star2000dancer]

08:55 PM on 05/07/2012

My gf showed me her compost pile and showed me how to make compost. I have a big flower pot I've been practicing in.

Mango pits don't seem to budge. I just poured box of rasin bran in. It had beautiful worms in in, but they died. I have a small porch with little sunshine.

Hers had 100's od little heriloom tomatoes growing from a few thatwas thrown in there.

Since "Food Inc," my digestive system has gone wild. But, whenever I go over there, she feeds me. And my whole body feels like new for few days. So, I'm a believer.

[mothergrace]

01:05 AM on 05/08/2012

I may give this a try. Everything else seems way too complicated for the balcony and if it really doesn't smell, all the better.

[PatA]

01:55 AM on 11/23/2012

I throw everything into my blender, with the exception of bones, meat, etc. I don't use any meat products in compost. By blending it first, it gets to work sooner. I keep it in a plastic container until I have enough to fill my blender.

[bokashi hq]

06:25 PM on 05/08/2012

It doesn't have to be buried - that is just one option... You could use the fermented matter in a worm bin http://www.bokashicompostinghq.com/using-bokashi-compost-in-a-worm-bin or add it to a compost heap.

I've heard that the fermented waste can also be buried in pots, rather than open ground, so that might be an option for your balcony too...

[mothergrace]

07:29 PM on 05/08/2012

I have been wondering about how to set up a rotating method of mixing it into a large pot, emptying that to use, refilling, etc. Fortunately, I can recycle food scraps too so if I have too much I can back off a little without that food going into the garbage.

I am going to check out this link too, Thanks!

[David Wheat]

06:28 PM on 05/07/2012

Sounds like the "daily dump" composting system that has been spreading in India for a few years. Suitable for apartment, balcony, etc. See http://www.dailydump.org/

[A F11111]

11:01 AM on 05/08/2012

No, that is aerobic. This is anaerobic.