The next lockdown trend we’d like to see is the upcycling of organic food waste with bokashi composting. Bonus: it will stretch your budget because you’ll save on buying compost and liquid fertiliser.
So, what is bokashi?
Bokashi is a composting system that uses microorganisms, called bokashi bran, to ferment food waste. This produces a nutrient-rich liquid called tea, as well as incredibly fertile compost, in under two weeks. While a variety of composting systems do exist for most food and even paper waste, bokashi is the only system able to recycle all organic food matter – leftover meat and dairy waste included.
You can order the bokashi bran and a bokashi bin online or have a go at a DIY bokashi bin project. Once the bin is assembled, load it up with bokashi bran and food waste then leave everything to ferment – all you’ll need to do is drain the liquid. After about two weeks, the fermented waste is completely broken down and it can be harvested. Voila – compost!
The airtight nature of the containers, general lack of pests and smell make bokashi bins ideal for living conditions where space or the absence of a backyard garden is a problem. It’s also a great composting system for those with a worm phobia.
The compost can be mixed directly into soil to enrich it – perfect for your vegetable patch or herb garden. And if you don’t mind worms, the compost can also be used to feed worms in a vermicomposting bin. The tea, when diluted with water, makes for a wonderful houseplant fertiliser – or use it undiluted to unblock drains!
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