Bokashi is an indoor composting system that uses a powder or liquid spray to help ferment and break down waste quickly. It’s a good option for people living in apartments or smaller spaces.

You can put all types of food waste in a bokashi, including cooked and raw food, fruit and veggies, coffee, tea, paper towel and much more. You can even add meat, fish, dairy, onion and garlic, which shouldn’t go in a traditional compost.

How to bokashi

You’ll need an airtight bokashi bin. These can be bought at hardware stores, or you can make your own. They have a tap at the bottom so you can regularly drain off the ‘juice’ and dilute it in water to use it as a garden fertiliser.

Add your scraps to the bin, and compress them to remove excess air. Add your bokashi powder or spray, then seal the lid tight and drain off any juice.

Once your bokashi bin is full, you can either bury it in your garden (not too close to plant roots) or add it to an outdoor compost bin.

Don’t have a garden? Check with family and friends if you can add bokashi scraps to their compost pile or garden when your bin gets full.

Visit Bokashi Composting Australia’s website for more information.