Bokashi Composting
We’ve been bigging up the art of Bokashi composting for a while now, effortlessly fermenting and transforming your leftover food waste so it can be dug into your garden, or mixed into your compost pile to diffuse its beneficial nutrients. Developed in the early 1980’s by the Japanese professor, Dr. Teuro Higa, Bokashi is a Japanese word that essentially translates to “fermented organic matter”. Since then, it has gained popularity from gardeners and eco-conscious folk on a global scale, as more people have discovered the ease and convenience of preserving and pickling your food waste so it can be used to invigorate your garden, rather than just letting it rot and decay into waste.
With the rise in stardom for Bokashi bins, they’re starting to play a more prominent role in our kitchen and home décor, no longer being shunned away in corners, or under sinks, these beautiful bins are shining from the inside out, creating a stunning display piece to wow your guests with. Keeping this in mind, what better time to introduce one of the newest ranges on our EvenGreener shelves: the Organko Bokashi Bins.
Organko 1
In a sleek grey and lime finish, the Organko 1 – Grey & Green Bokashi Bin Twin Pack comes complete with a scoop, push tool to compress your food waste with, a drainage cup to collect the liquid fertiliser, and the Bokashi Bran, which is rich in bran meal, molasses, and valuable micro-organisms.
Some consumers are put off by Bokashi composting due to the presumption of the fermentation process releasing foul odours. Luckily, the Organko Bokashi Bins make use of the bran’s beneficial micro-organisms to optimise the fermentation process and ensure the food ferments, rather than rots or decays. This is assisted by the airtight lid that prevents the inflow of air and subsequent oxygen, initiating the anaerobic process, which is the main difference between Bokashi and traditional composting.
Once you’ve filled up your Organko 1 Bin (keep reading to find out what you can put in…), let it ferment anaerobically (i.e. free of oxygen - so try not to keep opening it for a peek!) for 14 days. This allows your food waste to essentially pickle, enhancing its ability to quickly break down once it’s added to your compost pile, or dug into the ground.
Organko 2
Available in either black or cream, the Organko 2 range is spearheading the transition into innovative food waste disposal, responsibly managing and Bokashi composting your waste to benefit your garden, and protect our planet.
Once the Bokashi bran is added to your waste, the fermentation process inside your Organko 2 occurs in less than half the time conventional composting methods take, giving you the nutrient-rich produce to be distributed amongst your garden quickly and hassle-free.
Another key feature of Bokashi composting is the complimentary rich, fermentation liquid, or ‘Bokashi tea’ that is a byproduct of the process. This builds up during the fermentation period, and can easily be extracted via the built in screw-cap dispenser at the bottom of the bin. A magic formula of rich nutrients and minerals, this liquid can be diluted with water (1:200) and used to fertilise plants to catalyse their growth, and increase absorption of all the other essential goodness they require.
The Organko 2 has an inner container, with holes at the base to ensure the liquid fertiliser can drain through, whilst keeping the solid, fermenting food waste all in one section. To remove this inner container, simply press together the two black notches on the outer section of the bin, and lift. To empty your Bokashi compost, the whole bin needs lifting, assisted by the rubber seal around the base of the inner container to stop liquid and residue being trapped between the inner and outer layers.
Blackwall Bokashi Bin
An old favourite of ours that we couldn’t possibly leave out, the Blackwall Bokashi Bin comes in a twin pack set, so you can double the amount of food waste you transform - leaving one bin to ferment whilst filling up the other.
A classic, simplistic design, the grey Blackwall Bokashi Bin suits all homes and kitchens. It comes complete with two Bokashi bins, with lids and drainage taps for each, two inner drain trays, one scoop/liquid drain cup, one push tool to flatten your food waste with, a full set of instructions, and a 3-4 month supply of Bokashi Bran (1kg in weight).
Why Should You Start Bokashi Composting?
There are plenty of reasons why you may want to start on your Bokashi composting journey, so here we’ve listed a few:
Great for the Health of our Planet
Composting of any kind is good for the health of our planet. With the amount of food that is wasted globally each year (roughly one third of all food that is produced – or 1.3 billion tonnes to be more precise!), it’s imperative we start to transform, or at least minimise some of this waste to alleviate the strain on the environment in handling this sheer volume.
When food waste is sent to landfill, it slowly decays over long periods of time and rots, releasing harmful carbon dioxide and methane into the atmosphere, triggering the warming of the planet and greater climate change.
Through Bokashi composting, you can direct this waste that would otherwise be sent to landfill, transforming it into nutrient-rich pre-compost to nurture your garden with. A great option in every sense.
Less Odour
As mentioned, the airtight lid keeps the fermentation period ticking away anaerobically. This lack of oxygen, and incentive to keep the lid securely kept on (except for when adding more food waste to), ensures no foul odours escape, or pests are attracted. Even more wins!
Quick Turnover
Bokashi composting takes much less time to break down and transform your waste than traditional composting does. When your food waste has been layered and mixed with the Bokashi bran, and left out of direct sunlight with the lid tightly secured, within 10 days you can add your fermented mix onto your compost pile, or simply dig it straight into the ground. Comparing this to a traditional compost bin, which can often take a minimum of 30-90 days to produce your compost (see the HotBin range – our quickest composters!), Bokashi bins are pretty speedy!
Space-Efficient
Bokashi bins are a compact piece of kit, able to fit snugly into any kitchen or home. With the introduction of the beautiful Organko bins, they can be positioned proudly as the centre of attention on your kitchen counter. Modern, sleek, and simplistic, they’re bound to be a winner in any home.
What can you put in your Bokashi Bin?
Pretty much all bio-waste is welcome in your Bokashi Bin, but lets list a few preferred ingredients.
- Fruit and vegetable waste, including citrus and banana skin (excluding stickers!)
- Meat and fish can be thrown in. Not just cooked and grilled, but raw too. Just don’t throw large bones in, only smaller ones
- Dairy products like cheese and yoghurt
- Eggs and eggshells, as they are jam-packed with beneficial nutrients
- Coffee grounds and tea bags
- All kinds of bread
- Other organic green material, such as withered flowers, dead leaves, and cut grass
- Seep compostable dish sponges, which are made from loofah and cellulose. Once you have finished using them for cleaning your dishes (they will last you around 4-6 weeks), you can chop them up and pop them in your Bokashi bin
Seep
Head over to Seep to browse their high quality, green cleaning range, which is all entirely plastic free and biodegradable. A likeminded eco-friendly brand, who design their products with the planet in mind, whilst keeping your home squeaky clean too.
So, upgrade your EvenGreener lifestyle today, and start your Bokashi composting journey to help you transform more food and organic waste into rich, valuable pre-compost. We're offering 5% off our range of Organko Bokashi bins until midnight of 31st October 2022, using the code RIAORGANKO5 at the checkout. Don't miss out on your chance to live more sustainably for less, and kit your home out with one of our slickest products of the year. Shop the sale here.