Are you looking for a greener and easier way of disposing of your food scraps? One that doesn’t leave a terrible odour hanging in the air? Then you should definitely consider using Bokashi.
Bokashi is Japanese for ‘Fermented Organic Matter’. It is similar to composting, however you are essentially pickling your food scraps instead. This can be done by either burying your food scraps in your garden with some Bokashi Bran mixed in, or with a purpose-built Bokashi Kitchen Waste Bucket.
But before we get into that, what exactly is Bokashi Bran and how does it work? Well, it is a unique wheat bran base, enriched with the natural sweetener molasses, and ‘effective microorganisms. This inoculant looks very similar to sawdust, and can be used for a number of different things:
- Removing pathogens and pollutants from soil, essentially improving it
- It can be used as an animal feed ‘additive’, naturally enhancing the immune system
- Or it can be used as a compost accelerator
- Bokashi Bran can also be stored for up to 2 years, when done correctly
The Major Benefits of Using Bokashi
- Bokashi can be used to rapidly break down food waste, releasing nutrients in just two to four weeks! This can be done by either being dug into your soil or using a Bokashi Bin.
- Bokashi doesn’t take up a huge amount of room, as the entire process takes place inside the Bokashi Bucket, which can be kept indoors. This is due to the fact that the buckets are air-tight, trapping the offensive odours inside the bucket.
- Improves microbial activity in the soil.
- If stored in a Bokashi bucket, or buried deep enough in the soil; animals will not be attracted to the food waste.
- More odorous food waste, such as fish and rotting meat is ideal for processing with Bokashi (Which is not recommended with other composting systems)
- There will be no unwanted flies and insects buzzing around your sealed Bokashi Bin
- You don’t have to worry about spending any time aerating your pile, as you would in composting. In addition to that, you won’t be concerned with your carbon / nitrogen ratio.
Bokashi Composting is Better for Our Environment
One would imagine that biodegradable food waste in our landfills wouldn’t be something to worry about. However, when huge amounts of food waste lies stagnant in the ground, there is no way for oxygen to get in and assist with the decaying process. This then leads on to the mass secretion of greenhouse gases which is contributing to climate change. In addition to that, the food waste which we incinerate gives off large amounts of carbon dioxide which has a similar, detrimental effect. That is why Bokashi Composting is so brilliant! Not only are you helping the environment in general, but you’re improving the natural world immediately around you as well. This is due to creating higher quality soil in your garden and helping plant and animal life to thrive.
Summary
It is great being able to fill your Bokashi Bucket with the bran and your food scraps and then simply leaving it for a few weeks - composting on the other hand, requires much more time and effort. That’s not to say that composting is obsolete, but when you can achieve such fantastic results with little to no effort at all; it’s no wonder why so many people are turning to Bokashi when disposing of their food scraps. Sources:
https://www.planetnatural.com/composting-101/indoor-composting/bokashi-composting/
http://ourauckland.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/articles/news/2016/10/6-benefits-of-bokashi
