You produce food waste every day. Vegetable peelings, coffee grounds, leftover rice, a chicken bone, some cheese rind. Most of it goes in a bag, then in a bin, then in a truck, then in a landfill — where it rots without oxygen and releases methane, a greenhouse gas 28 times more potent than CO₂.
There's a simpler option. One that works in a flat, doesn't require a garden, and handles every kind of food waste — including the meat, dairy, and cooked food that traditional composting rejects.
It's called bokashi. And it's been quietly transforming kitchen waste into living soil for decades.
Bokashi is a Japanese word that means "fermented organic matter." The method uses inoculated bran — wheat bran seeded with beneficial microbes, mainly lactic acid bacteria — to ferment food scraps in a sealed, airtight bin.
This is not decomposition. It's fermentation — the same process that makes yogurt, sauerkraut, and kimchi. The microbes pickle your food waste instead of letting it rot. The result is preserved, acidic pre-compost that breaks down rapidly when buried in soil.
Traditional composting relies on aerobic decomposition — oxygen, turning, time, and patience. Bokashi is anaerobic — sealed, fast, and hands-off. You don't turn it. You don't aerate it. You layer scraps with bran, seal the lid, and wait.
How to use it: Add a handful of bokashi bran to the bottom of the bin. Add your food scraps — any food scraps. Press them down firmly to remove air pockets. Add another handful of bran. Seal the lid tightly. Repeat every time you have scraps to add. The bin has a tap at the bottom for draining liquid — "bokashi tea" is a potent plant fertilizer when diluted (1:100).
Once the bin is full, seal it shut and let it sit for 14 days. The microbes ferment the waste — you'll notice a sweet, tangy smell, not rot. After 14 days, bury the fermented waste in soil — a garden bed, balcony planter, or large pot — covered with 15–20 cm of soil. In two to four weeks, it becomes dark, rich, living soil.
What makes bokashi special: it handles ALL food waste — meat, dairy, cooked food, citrus, oils — things traditional composting rejects. A single household can divert 280–560 kg of food waste from landfill per year, avoiding significant methane emissions. It works indoors, in a sealed bin under your counter.
Bokashi composting is ideal for flat dwellers, renters, balcony gardeners, and anyone who wants to close the loop on food waste without a garden. The Grown. Bokashi Starter Kit includes everything to start — bin, tap, and bran.