Composting Methods: Which One Is Right For You?

If you have decided to take the plunge and start composting there are a number of ways you can go about it. The best approach for you will depend on your needs and lifestyle – the following guide will make your decision easy.

Hot Versus Cold     

Almost all composting methods are considered to be either hot or cold; here is a brief look at the main differences.

Hot composting 

This involves building and maintaining a high temperature at the centre of your compost pile, which is done by turning your compost regularly, keeping it moist and adding enough high-nitrogen materials.  The heat generated breaks down organic matter extremely quickly and can even kill seeds from weeds. 

Cold composting 

To cold compost, simply pile your organic waste and let nature take its course! While virtually no effort is required, this method takes a lot longer to create compost and won’t kill seeds.

Whether you want to compost hot, cold or otherwise, the following are some of your best options. 

Closed Bins 

Closed bin composters are usually bottomless – sitting directly on top of the soil. They feature a lid, through which you can add your organic material, some have a low door for collecting the finished product. 

Pros

• Inexpensive
• Organic matter is hidden
• Can handle large volumes
• Drains excess moisture easily

Cons

• Not always easy to access finished compost 
• Difficult to turn 
• Can attract pests 

Tumblers 

A variation of the closed bin method, this approach commonly features a closed container mounted on a support structure above the ground. There is a door through which you can add your organics, and a handle attached for turning it. 

Pros

• Organic matter is hidden
• Easy to turn
• Highly pest-proof        

Cons

• Expensive
• Heavy when full
• Some models are difficult to spin when 2/3 full 
• The compost has no contact with the soil

Bokashi Composting 

The Bokashi method uses microorganisms to ferment your organic waste, which is then either buried or added to an existing compost pile. 

Pros

• It’s very easy and fast
• Waste is conveniently collected in the kitchen, without attracting insects
• Can compost all food waste, including citrus, meat, dairy
• Produces bokashi juice, a rich liquid fertiliser

Cons

• Requires a constant supply of bokashi mix
• Limited capacity for waste
• Requires empty garden space to bury the waste

Vermicomposting – Worm Farms

Certain types of worms will eat your organic waste and turn it into compost via their excrement. Apart from the worms, you will need a 3 or 4 level structure that has decent drainage, good air flow and a ‘bedding’ of moist, shredded paper. 

Pros

• Organic matter is hidden
• Compact, no garden is required 
• Produces worm juice, an excellent liquid fertiliser

Cons

• Worms require weekly care, i.e. right temperature & moisture levels
• Limited capacity for waste
• Cannot accept all food waste  i.e. citrus, onions 

Inground composting 

This method involves burying your organics directly into the ground. 

Pros

• Free
• Organic matter is hidden

Cons

• Slow 
• Labour-intensive
• Can attract pests
• Requires empty garden space to bury the waste

Open Bin Systems 

A system of bins where organic materials are separated based on how fresh or decomposed they are. 

Pros 

• Easy to turn and harvest
• Organic matter is partially hidden 
• Ideal for hot composting

Cons

• Organic matter is partially visible
• Requires a large space
• Can attract pests 

There is a composting method that will work well for just about anyone. If you need help deciding, talk to the experts at Bokashi.

Recycle Organic Waste

Great Excerpt from this Councils webpage

Bokashi Buckets

The Bokashi Bucket is another great option for small urban spaces. The Bokashi Bucket ferments layers of chopped kitchen waste overlain with Bokashi mix, a Japanese discovery made up of grains or saw dust with Effective Micro-organisms (EM) to speed up the fermentation process. The bucket is sealed air tight, so there’s no access for bugs or vermin, allowing your meat scraps to be included also! There’s also no worms to care for, so onions and citrus are back on the composting menu.

 

Even better, the air tight seal means no nasties can get in or out of your Bokashi Bucket, thus no smells (or very little smell, mostly just the nice earthy smell of the Bokashi mix). This means you can even keep your Bokashi Bucket in the kitchen cupboard!

 

Where to get it. Bokashi Buckets are available at most hardware stores, and some nurseries. The buckets are most often made of recycled plastic, with a grate at the bottom to allow the juice to collect beneath your scraps, and a tap to release the juice.

 

How it works. Collect your daily organic scraps in a recycled plastic container on the kitchen bench and add them to your Bokashi Bucket in layers. As you add layers, squash the scraps into the bucket with a potato masher and sprinkle on the Bokashi mix to cover lightly. Your bucket will yield lovely ‘bokashi juice’ every few days depending on how much you feed it. Dilute the juice 1:100 for use on the garden or use straight down sinks or toilets to clean drains. Once your bucket is full, bury the fermented organics 20-25cm below the surface of the soil and it will become lovely compost.

 

No digging space? Bury in a friend’s garden, their soil will love it!

 

The Bokashi Bucket is also a great option for Fly In Fly Out workers or those away from home quite often. With the bucket’s air tight seal in tact you can leave it for several weeks without worrying your compost will go rancid.

 

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Poster: Just a sub note comment, Some sensitive plants,  you may

want to dilute Bokashi juice in your watering can out to 200:1

(Water/Bokashi Juice).

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Office Tearooms & Canteens

Invest in a Bokashi Bucket for your Office Tearoom or Canteen to help save wasted food going into landfill.  You'll be doing the company profile; and world, a favour.  Where I have seen these implementations before,  they have been very successful.

Generally, you appoint a "monitor" to manage the sprinkling of the grains daily and distribution of the finished waste.  In some occasions, we have heard of much like with the gardening staff for the treasured Bokashi Juice that is collected.

You may be surprised to learn in your organisation that many SME's have a budget for sustainability already and are more than happy to agree & implement this system to canteens.  It saves on waste, and provides benefits for the work site (or workers home gardens)  Message me if you would like further consultation.

To read more about the benefits, both at work and at home, see the leading Australian Distributor (and their reseller details) @ www.bokashi.com.au

If you have a large building with multiple satellite kitchens, then I am more than happy to broker a wholesale purchase price for you with "Bokashi One".

 

Food & Garden Waste into Resources

Wollongong City Council delves into Household Garbage and how to deal with local landfill issues.

In this web article page, Wollongong Council covers traditional composting, (which some of us are more familiar with)  Top marks that they have a program and calendar for local workshops.  equally important to some is there is an email address that residents can contact (and get added to their newsletter)  sustainability@wollongong.nsw.gov.au

If in the meantime you wish to buy a Bokashi Bucket & Bokashi mix,  you can visit via the web to www.bokashi.com.au (Local Experts). 

When speaking with your local council, don't forget to request that the local service centre stocks the Bokashi Buckets and Bokashi Mix.  For example,  Kiama Council,  stocks and sells this system at a reduced price to ratepayers and you can pick up the products Kiama Council’s Works Depot, Belvedere Street, Kiama .

Food and Garden Waste into Resources

 

Shopping around for Bokashi Mix and Bokashi Buckets

Loads of people are buying online these days and why not?

Be careful to ensure you are buying from a reputable distributor or one of their authorised resellers.  When you buy a brand that specialises in a product, you can be sure that you have the support for that item and you have a reseller (or the distributor) to go back to, so that if you should endure; any issues, or need spare parts, they can provide you with immediate or ongoing supportive information (or best practices) 

Bokashi Composting Australia has been operating for 8 years in the Australia market.  They have many resellers in each of Australia’s main centres.  Click on the reseller’s web links to see what other sustainability products they sell.  There is loads of physical retail businesses, Eco & Health Food Shops, Kitchenware Dens, Mitre 10’s and Sustainability Ventures to supply (and resupply) your “Bokashi One” needs (shop locally).  A lot of these resellers are actual shops, so if you don’t like shopping online, you can visit the actual shop to touch and feel what you are buying!

The newly branded “Bokashi One” Bokashi system arrives with full instructions to make you indoor kitchen composting system easy and helps provide you with details to collect nutrient rich compost to condition and enrich your garden soil.  How good does that make you feel?  No Smells, No Insect attraction, just “Natural & Organic Garden Results” and don’t forget the valuable “Bokashi Juice”, that you can “water out” to your plants or grass, or use the “Bokashi Juice”, as a quasi-drain cleaner.

Bokashi Juice

Once you've drained the Bokashi Juice then it should be used straight away.

Bokashi Bucket Explained in Simple Terms

This easy kitchen composting system directs food waste organics away from landfill whilst conditioning your soil on a microbial level. Absolutely any food can go into the ‘Bokashi One’ Bokashi Bucket’ including meat, dairy, citrus peel & onion.

The blend of micro-organism in the ‘Bokashi One’ Bokashi mix ferments the waste in anaerobic conditions, so there is no rotten food smells associated with decay and decomposition.

It’s so easy to use! Simply place your food scraps into the air tight bucket, sprinkle on some Bokashi mix and place the lid back on. Repeat this process until the Bokashi One Bucket is full. So convenient… no need to run outside to compost bin each day.

When the Bokashi One Bucket is full, the waste should then be buried directly into your garden. The microbes ensure a rapid breakdown. Bokashi waste can also be added to a traditional compost bin or worm farm.

The benefit to the soil is enormous. Not only does the soil get all the nutrients from the collected food scraps but you also add life to the soil in the form of millions of micro-organism contained in the Bokashi One Mix. Because the waste breaks down under the soil there is no release of harmful greenhouse gases.

The benefits don’t stop there – As your food waste ferments, liquid drains to a separate section at the bottom of the bucket. Drain the “Bokashi Juice” and dilute with water for a wonderful fertilizer, or as a natural drain cleaner. The beneficial microbes will compete with harmful bacteria, which helps reduce algae build up so it’s great for our waterways. Bokashi Juice is full of nutrients and is alive with micro-organisms.

What if you have very limited or no garden? You can still use the system. Its odorless and compact design makes it ideal for collecting waste in small homes. Disposing of the waste may require additional effort and some lateral thinking, perhaps gifting it to a friend or family member, or community garden. Even when full the Bokashi Bucket is easy to move around, the waste can be added to a compost bin or worm farm. Full instructions are provided with each Bokashi One Bucket.