Are you thinking about composting but are worried about large compost bins in your home? What about having the smell of garbage or compost odors? Don’t worry, switching to a Bokashi bin can resolve your odor and space issues. Bokashi bins are able to recycle your food waste all through the year. Using an anaerobic fermentation process, the Bokashi bins are able to recycle all of your kitchen waste into valuable and effective soil conditioner for your garden.
The Bokashi Bin is an air tight container that composts the waste by using a Bokashi compost starter. EM® Bokashi is an example of a Bokashi that can be used in a Bokashi Bin. EM® Bokashi is saturated with beneficial microorganisms and is commonly used for food waste recycling, odor control for pet waste, and to accelerate compost and plant residue and mulch decomposition. It can also be used in portable toilets, waterless toilets, and added to potting soil mixes.
As mentioned before, your kitchen will not have an odor from your Bokashi bin. That is because the kitchen waste will not decompose or breakdown while inside the bin. It is only when the food waste is placed in the ground with dirt or other carbon materials, that the process is complete and it will begin to breakdown. Keep your Bokashi bin in a dry place and out of direct sunlight. A kitchen cabinet is a good place to store it.
How to Start Your Bokashi Bin
First obtain an air tight plastic bin or bucket. Then place your kitchen waste in the bin and sprinkle a small amount of EM® Bokashi over your waste. Pack down your waste, using gloves or a plastic bag to do so, and reseal the lid. The microbes found in the Bokashi immediately work to ferment the food scraps, releasing valuable nutrients and enzymes. This fermentation allows these nutrients to come out without the hassle of odors or insects. For every 3 or 4 inches of waste, sprinkle another handful of EM@ Bokashi. When the bucket is full, place another coat of Bokashi on the top.
After the bin is full, let it ferment for 14 days in the air tight container. Then the waste can be taken outside and added to an existing compost pile, placed in your garden or crop or stored in a cooler for future use.
After 2 - 4 weeks, the waste will have broken down even further into an organic, rich soil conditioner in which you can spread throughout your garden. However, there are a few foods that may not have broken down completely, such as lemon or orange rinds. They will eventually breakdown in your garden, they just need some more time.