If you are passionate like me about managing your home waste, but live in an apartment, Bokashi composting may be your answer to your food waste dilemmas. Bokashi is a Japanese method of composting that essentially uses live microbes to “pickle” food waste. During fermentation in the anaerobic atmosphere, it breaks down food into a pre-digested compost. Why Bokashi Composting?
• Composting happens in a sealed container and won’t attract bugs. Smells are also greatly reduced.
• Almost all kinds of foods can be added, including meats, cheese, bones, and fish.
• No pressure builds up. Bucket can be left for months inside or out with little maintenance required.
• Although a worm bin is recommended, you don’t need worms.
• The liquid runoff from the spout can be used for high quality plant fertilizer.
Normally, a five-gallon bucket, with a spout to drain the compost tea is used for food collection. Two buckets are ideal to use and switch out while the other has time to ferment. The process is quite simple and straightforward. Each time scraps are added to the bucket, simply sprinkle a bit of Bokashi bran on top, tamp down, and keep layering Bokashi and food until it is full. Following this, cap the bucket so that no air is present and let the microbes
get to work making microbial magic. As it ferments and “pickles” your food, the liquid can be drained off and used for plants or flushed for septic treatment. Once the process is complete, either feed the compost to the worms in your worm bin or bury it in a hole near your plants if you have a yard. However, you can also simply put it into a plant container on the deck and add topsoil as it finishes.
Although Bokashi composting does not resolve every issue, it does remedy the issue of odors, as well as giving you the freedom to compost almost every thing. Not to mention the best part, which is making your own FREE high quality compost to grow beautiful flowers and food. Plus, it feels great that you are doing your conscious, green part in drastically reducing landfill waste while creating a more beautiful balanced Earth to live in.
For more info: melanie@goldenroots.com
