If you live in a flat, rent and don’t have outdoor space, or simply have no room for a compost bin, waste in the kitchen still accumulates. Scraps that could become useful instead fill up your bin each week, then go to landfill and produce methane as they decompose. Bokashi allows you to sidestep this problem instead, fermenting your kitchen scraps into a valuable resource using nothing more than a bucket and some bran.
While it isn’t strictly composting in the true sense – you’re pickling your waste rather than letting it decompose – the results are just as useful for feeding plants or improving soil.
The system is completely indoor-friendly, produces negligible smell if set up and maintained correctly, and can process food waste traditional compost heaps can’t including cooked food, meat, and dairy. It’s ideal for households without gardens as it leaves you with a liquid fertiliser perfect for houseplants, as well as fermented waste you can either bury in any patch of earth you have access to or take to your local community composting scheme. It won’t solve every problem with sustainable waste disposal but it drastically reduces what gets sent to landfill from your kitchen.
It does require an investment in buckets and repeated purchase of the bran required, but it’s easier than most people think and works extremely well once you understand the basic process.
## How Does Bokashi Work and How Is It Different to Traditional Composting?
### Fermentation vs. Decomposition
It does what it says on the tin – fermentation. Unlike traditional composting which requires oxygen, food waste in your bokashi bucket ferments under sealed, airless conditions. Layers of food waste are sprinkled with bokashi bran – essentially a naturally occurring set of effective microorganisms – before the whole bucket is sealed.
The anaerobic fermentation stage takes around 2-4 weeks (GardenerBible), during which time the microorganisms create an acidic environment using lactic acid. Instead of decomposing your waste like a compost heap, bokashi preserves it.
This is also why your bokashi smells more like pickles after around 10 days – 2 weeks (The Spruce) have passed rather than anything pleasant from a compost heap. Preserving food prevents putrefaction and kills off harmful bacteria without destroying the cell structure of your food waste. Learn more about the science behind EM here (National Center for Biotechnology Information). Bokashi composting has been developed since the early 1980s (Financial Times), but systems for domestic use are relatively recent.
### What Can Go In A Bokashi Bin?
The sealed, acidic environment means bokashi bins can accept pretty much any food scrap you produce in the kitchen. Meat, fish, dairy products, cooked food, and even oils can all be thrown on a bokashi bucket. Things you still can’t add are liquids, large bones, and other non-organic matter. Due to its fermentation process, bokashi can handle far more food waste than conventional compost heaps.
### Two Stage System
Traditional composting takes place in just one place, but your bokashi system works in two stages. Firstly the fermentation in your bucket, which takes around two weeks. During this time, liquid fertiliser is also produced. Secondly, you bury your fermented waste or add it to a compost heap. Both stages are necessary to finish breaking down the waste before it becomes usable compost.
This is also why bokashi works for people without gardens. Firstly takes place completely indoors, producing liquid fertiliser you can use immediately on houseplants. Stage two can happen in a window box or shared garden space if you have access to outdoors at all.
## Setting Up Your Indoor Composting System
### Choosing Your Bucket
The buckets need to be completely airtight with a tap at the bottom to allow liquid drainage. Kits are available (£25-£40) that contain everything you need to get started including instructions. If you already have suitable buckets you can purchase bokashi bucket lids separately. Your bucket will need a tap because you’ll need to drain what’s known as ‘bokashi tea’ every few days (Biolanshop). Aim for 15 litres capacity, which is enough space for most kitchens to fill up with waste before it needs fermenting.
Two buckets are better than one if you produce a lot of food waste. Keep one going while you fill the other to avoid having empty weeks where you can’t add waste. Again, this is useful if you have a family or regularly cook from scratch.
### Understanding Bokashi Bran
Like your bucket, bran will need to be purchased regularly. While it is possible to make your own bokashi bran, buying it ready-made saves a lot of hassle and ensures the effective microorganisms stay active when you purchase it.
Commercial bran usually either comes as sawdust or normal bran which has been inoculated with EM. You simply sprinkle this on top of each layer of waste in your bucket. Cost is around £8-£15 for a 1kg bag, and will last 2-3 months depending on how much waste you produce.
### Location & Ventilation
The one sacrifice you make with bokashi systems is a bucket that lives indoors. Ideally somewhere that can stay at room temperature but doesn’t experience extreme fluctuations. A kitchen cupboard or utility room both work well. When maintained correctly bokashi bins shouldn’t smell, but you will notice a pickle-like smell when adding waste or emptying the liquid. Some people might find this annoying so consider who else lives in your household and place accordingly.
## Using Your Bokashi Bucket
### Adding Food Waste
Much like making compost, your layers should be compacted as much as possible. This doesn’t need to be exact science – if it smells like pickles when you open the bucket you’re doing it right. Add food waste in layers, sprinkling bran on top of each layer before pressing down to remove excess air.
Avoid adding liquids which upset the balance needed for fermentation to occur. If your food waste is wet, pat it dry beforehand. Small amounts of citrus peel are fine, but avoid filling up your bokashi bin with half a bag of orange peel.
### Harvesting Bokashi Tea
The process of emptying the tea is called draining – neat huh? Expect to drain the bucket every 3-5 days, or once you notice liquid has accumulated. You don’t want the system to become waterlogged or anaerobic conditions will occur that are not helpful to your fermentation process.
Bokashi tea is powerful fertiliser that still needs to be diluted before use. It should be diluted at a ratio of 1: 100 (Wiggly Wigglers) when feeding plants, though stronger concentrations can be used for things like drain cleaning where the good bacteria help to break down organic matter.
You can keep fresh bokashi tea refrigerated for up to a week before using it, or use it straight away. When diluted correctly, it should have a sharp smell that is slightly sweet. If it smells rotten you have failed at fermentation.
### Signs of Successful Fermentation
Bucket opened after two weeks – note how dry the waste appears and pickled smell.
After two weeks fermentation time is up. While the pre compost shouldn’t touch plants for 2 weeks due to acidity (RHS) your waste should look slightly softer and smell noticeably sour like pickles. There may also be a white mould visible on the surface of your bokashi, this is normal and a sign that fermentation was successful. If you see blue/black mould it’s likely you’ve left the bucket open to air for too long during the process.
Once it’s ready, the material in your bokashi bucket should still look fairly similar to when you put it in, albeit softer. The smell should also be fairly evident, if it smells rotten you’ve failed at fermentation.
## Things People Get Wrong
Mistake #1: Not adding enough bran consistently. It’s tempting to skip the bran here and there to save some money, or use less each time. This won’t work and you’ll quickly find your food begins to rot instead of ferment.
Mistake #2: Failure to press out air. Layers of waste should be compacted as much as possible. Neglecting to remove air prevents anaerobic conditions from occurring and you’ll end up with rotten waste instead of pickled.
Mistake #3: Not draining liquid. Your bucket isn’t designed to be waterlogged and letting the tea build up means you’re no longer creating the ideal fermentation conditions. Use the liquid often as it’s great fertiliser.
Mistake #4: Keep lifting the bucket lid. Similar to mistake #2, every time you open your bucket you introduce oxygen which messes up the fermentation process. Add your waste quickly, compact it and close the lid. There’s no need to check your progress every day.
Mistake #5: Adding liquids and bad things. Bokashi may be more forgiving than traditional compost heaps but that doesn’t mean you should throw absolutely everything in there. Hold onto liquids like coffee grounds and avoid large bones or non-organic matter. Large amounts of oils and grease can also cause issues.
## When You Don’t Have a Garden
### Liquid Fertiliser
As your bokashi produces liquid fertiliser you can actually use this on your houseplants while it ferments. You’ve already diluted it for use so use the standard 1:100 ratio and feed away. You can use higher ratios for plant feed during growing seasons but don’t go wild and use undiluted on your houseplants. Bokashi liquid can be used to feed plants straight from the bucket, but we recommend further dilution for houseplants.
Community Composting / Allotments
Many allotments and community gardens will accept fermented bokashi as long as you’re willing to trench it or add it to their compost heap. As the fermentation process has already begun breaking down the organic matter, bokashi tends to integrate easier than fresh food waste for them. Some councils even have community composting schemes that accept bokashi only.
Balcony Gardening / Containers
If you have access to outdoors but not your own garden, consider burying your fermented waste in large plant pots. After two weeks of trenching bokashi waste, plant on top (Garden Organic). You can bury your fermented waste in sections to make several cubic metres of soil amended bokashi if you have large enough pots.
Urban Soil Improvement
As long as you have access to a small patch of soil you can use your bokashi waste too. Drizzling it around the base of communal trees, shrubs on shared land or community gardens will improve soil quality. As the bokashi pre compost shouldn’t touch plants for 2 weeks due to acidity always wait 2 weeks after burying it. With permission, bury your fermented waste at least 20cm deep to avoid animals attempting to dig it up.
## Resources
Study 1: Scientists analysed fermentation stability and organic matter retention in EM-rich effective microorganisms-substrate fermented foods. Bokashi had significantly higher OM retention than control composts immediately after fermentation and 120 days after burying in soil.
Study 2: Researchers studied plant growth promoters during fermentation, including hormones and beneficial microbes. Plant growth promotion activity and populations of root-colonising bacteria were significantly higher in EM-Rhizosphere(bokashi).
Study 3: University scientists monitored household waste diverted by bokashi systems compared toY activated composting. Results consistently showed bokashi diverted between 60-80% of annual kitchen waste.
## For Everyone
There aren’t any specific demographics that can’t use bokashi systems, though some systems may work better for you depending on the amount of waste your household produces.
Small households: One bucket is all you really need if you’re living alone or as couple. Empty and re-fill your bucket in line with food waste production.
Larger families / lots of food waste: You’ll benefit from two buckets and may even consider having additional storage for when you’re fridge fills up during peak times. All those sandwiches will go at school though so bokashi is ideal for households that cook from scratch.
Rental properties: As your system is entirely indoor there are no permanent alterations required making bokashi ideal for people that rent. Liquid fertiliser also works wonders on houseplants if you’re not allowed to garden outside.
Flatdwellers and urban households: Again, no outdoor space is required to get these benefits. You’ll be producing liquid fertiliser as standard that can be used on houseplants, with the option to either dispose of fermented waste through community compost schemes or bury it if you have access to outdoor space at all.
If you don’t have access to gardens: Wheelchair users and those with limited mobility will find bokashi easy to manage. Once your system is rolling adding scraps and draining liquid is easier than lifting a traditional compost bin lid.
## Benefits Of Bokashi Systems
Keeps 60-80% of average food waste out of landfill.
The process occurs indoors and isn’t affected by weather or season.
Produces liquid fertiliser you can use straight away on indoor plants.
Fermented waste is easy to dispose of through community compost schemes or friend’s gardens.
Can process most food waste including meat & dairy, leaving you with less to dispose of conventionally.
Helps build long-term soil health by adding beneficial microorganisms to soil.<|end_of_document|>
