While I loved that traditional composting turned old onion skins into rich soil, I did not enjoy the colony of mice who had taken up residence in our compost bin. They waited with entitled patience for me to deliver their daily meals of table scraps by sitting atop the heap, not even scattering when I opened the bin. It was gross. It was unsanitary. But it was also impossible to quit. How could I possibly toss corn cobs into a plastic trash bag with a clear eco-consience?

Now maybe if I would have had a turning bin, or if I was less of lazy composter, I wouldn’t have had this rodent infestation issue. But for years mice kept popping up in our compost bin while I wrung my hands over a solution. Finally, I discovered bokashi bins and life became infinitely easier.

The word bokashi sounds like a type of sushi or a kitchen appliance, but it’s actually Japanese for fermented food waste. Developed in Japan, bokashibokashi is a substance made of rice bran, microorganisms, and molasses that greatly speeds up the decomposition process. And since you can toss anything in a bokashi bin including meat, dairy, eggs and fruits and veggies, it’s far easier to slash your overall trash production while producing beautiful soil for the garden.

So how is Bokashi different than traditional composting?

1. You can compost anything, including meat, dairy, eggs and even pet waste!
2. The bokashi compost bin stays in your kitchen or garage for two weeks before you take it out.
3. You need to have bokashi bran to sprinkle on the compost to make sure that it breaks down quickly without smelling bad. It essentially pickles the food waste to eliminate rotten scents while the contents disintegrate. (Honestly, a bucket filled with a chicken carcass, bacon fat, old casserole, and scrambled eggs smells lightly of pickles—and nothing else. It’s amazing!)
4. It’s an anaerobic process, so you must pack it down and seal it rather than trying to turn it regularly.
5. Ideally, bokashi compost is buried in the ground after two weeks
to help it finish decomposing.

Overall, I find bokashi composting easier and more gratifying than traditional composting. It’s a little more hands on, but I love that none of my food waste goes into the trash. And I’d much rather bury the contents of a bucket every few weeks than trek to the compost bin on a daily basis. I’ll share more about my bokashi revelations in some upcoming posts–including how to make your own bins and get started on a very small budget.