My bokashi bin saved my kitchen scraps from turning into a science experiment

I live in a studio in Chicago and tried worm composting last summer. It worked okay for a few months but then the bin got too wet and the worms started dying off. I was about to give up on composting altogether. Then a friend told me about bokashi bins. I bought a small one with a spigot for $30 on Amazon. The trick is you layer your food scraps with the bran and press everything down tight. It ferments instead of rotting so there is no smell at all. I keep it under my sink and just drain the liquid every few days. Has anyone else tried switching from worms to bokashi in a small apartment?

2 comments

2 Comments

matthewross2d ago

I've been using bokashi for 3 years in a 400 sq ft apartment and the biggest thing nobody mentions is how the liquid can plug up your sink drains if you dump it straight down. I started collecting it in a old Gatorade bottle and feeding it to my houseplants once a week mixed with water. Works great but you gotta use it within 48 hours or it starts smelling like vomit in the bottle. Also, don't try to dump the fermented scraps into a tiny balcony planter like I did. That crap is still breaking down underground for months and will attract every ant in the building.

martinez.karen2d ago

Oh MAN, that tip about the liquid is GOLD because I almost made that exact mistake with my sink last week. I mix mine into a watering can for my spider plants and they've never looked better, just gotta remember to use it fast like you said. And YES about the ant situation - I buried some fermented scraps in a pot on my fire escape and woke up to a full on ant parade the next morning, lesson learned the hard way.