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What Can Go in a Bokashi Bin vs What Not to Put in Bokashi

Whether you’re new to bokashi composting or have been practicing it for a little while, knowing what can go in a bokashi bin and what not to put in bokashi is worth clarifying.

The bokashi method is a popular method of composting because of the many benefits and advantages it offers. I’m certainly a fan, and I’m sure you will be too. Read on, and find out all you need to know in order to perfect the art of bokashi composting.

A Fantastic Way to Make Compost

Asides from reducing waste and helping the environment, producing compost at home is a great cost effective alternative to purchasing store bought compost or natural fertilizers. 

With a bokashi bin, it’s possible to reduce food waste and use the nutrient rich liquid by product called bokashi tea,’ to water your plants. This is an easy and cost effective way to add nutrients to both indoor and outdoor plants.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. Before discussing all the benefits of a bokashi bucket, let’s first talk about what it is and why many people choose it. 

example of what can and What not to put in bokashi bin
Some ideas or what I add to my Bokashi bin

What Is Bokashi and How Does Bokashi Composting Work?

First off, let’s talk about traditional composting. You might know a bit about it already, but to help you compare traditional composting with the bokashi technique, let me summarize.

The Traditional Composting Method

Traditional composting involves layering green and brown waste and allowing the process of heat and microbe activity to slowly decompose organic matter over time. Green waste may include leaves, organic kitchen waste, clippings, etc; while the latter includes branches, paper, sticks, and dry leaves. 

On average, composting can take anywhere from 3-6 months to produce usable compost. Compare this to a 4 week turnaround for bokashi, and you have one of the main benefits of bokashi composting vs traditional composting

The Bokashi Composting Method

Originating in Japan, bokashi composting is a method that allows you to turn your organic waste into a pre-compost state. In as little as four weeks, your bokashi bucket can provide rich, fermented compost that can be dug directly into garden soil.

The bokashi method works by collecting all kitchen waste in a sealed container, and sprinkling it with bokashi bran.

After the bin is full of food waste, dairy products, tea bags, leaves, coffee grounds, and other kitchen ingredients, leave it to sit for two to three weeks before digging it into the soil. Then, after a week or two, the fermented bokashi waste will have decomposed enough for plants to be planted over it. Thus producing incredibly nutrient rich compost for the garden, that your plants will absolutely love!

Having the best bucket to do all of this is essential, so check out my bokashi bin review for a good place to start before you get going. 

What Can Go in a Bokashi Bin:

Bokashi composting can be used to compost a wide range of organic materials. Some of the materials that can go in a Bokashi bin include:

  • Fruit and vegetable scraps
  • Coffee grounds and filters
  • Tea leaves and tea bags
  • Food scraps including bread and pasta
  • Eggshells
  • Dairy products
  • Chicken bones
  • Meat scraps
  • Fish scraps
  • Bones (although large bones will take a long time to decompose)
  • Pet waste (excluding cat litter)
  • Shredded cardboard egg cartons
  • Compostable products such as utensils and paper plates
even bones can be added to a bokashi bin
Even bones can be added to a Bokashi bin!

What Not to Put in Bokashi:

While bokashi composting can be used to compost a wide range of organic materials, some materials should not be placed in a bokashi bin. These materials include:

  • Cat litters
  • Diseased plants
  • Chemical or treated waste
  • Synthetic materials (such as plastic)
  • Coal or charcoal
  • Invasive plant species

Why Choose Bokashi Composting

There are many reasons why I love bokashi composting. Once you’ve evaluated the different composting alternatives and know what can go in a bokashi bin and what not to put in bokashi, it’s a fun way to make compost, keep your plants healthy, and work on your garden.

And bokashi composting is actually very simple. If you do experience any bokashi problems they are usually easily fixed.

Here are the main benefits of bokashi composting:

Benefits of Bokashi Composting

1. To Reduce Household Waste

I think it’s fair to say that no one likes a smelly kitchen from food scraps and chicken bones sitting to long in the trash bin. And I’m sure you’re eager to reduce your household waste and the amount of organic matter that ends up in landfill.

Fortunately, one of the best ways I’ve found to do all of this is the bokashi method. Practically any organic household waste can be added to the bokashi bin – yes even bones leftover from the Sunday roast (or in my case, leftovers from the kids lunch boxes). I’ve even put stale playdough in my bokashi bin!

Practicing bokashi composting means reducing the amount of waste you have at home (that would otherwise end up in landfill) and turning it into useful compost for your garden – that’s a win-win in my books!

2. To Make High-Quality Compost & Healthy Soil

The three methods of composting (worm farming, bokashi and traditional composting) are all excellent ways of reducing and reusing organic waste whilst producing rich compost for the garden. 

The two main benefits of bokashi over worm farming and traditional composting are that almost ALL food waste can go into bokashi, as well as the short amount of time required to produce usable compost. 

It doesn’t take long to learn what can go in a bokashi bin. After getting the hang of it, it really is a simple process that can’t really go wrong.

If after troubleshooting any bokashi problems nothing works, the worst case scenario is just tip it out and start over.

kitchen scraps being tipped into a bokashi bin

Bokashi Tea

Every few days, remember to drain the bokashi tea from the spigot or bottom bokashi bucket. Dilute this with water and fertilize your plants.

Bokashi tea is an added bonus to the bokashi composting process – you effectively get two types of fertilizer in one!

Before you know it, your garden will be a nutrient-rich plant paradise full of goodness, all produced from a simple bokashi bucket.

3. To Save Money

By learning what can go in a bokashi bin and making your own compost at home, you have the potential to save a lot of money.

You won’t need to pay for compost after using the bokashi method, or for liquid fertlizer. Instead, you can use that money elsewhere!

Saving money is a fantastic benefit of making compost at home, and it will help you better plan for the future since your nutrient-filled garden won’t require constant money to be spent on it.

4. Eliminate Nasty Smells

After understanding what not to put in bokashi, a bokashi bin shouldn’t smell. The microbes in the bokashi bran are safe bacteria and help to neutralize odors.

Consequently, eliminating nasty smells from your kitchen and the rest of your house is something that will happen naturally. Cooked food can leave a nasty smell behind in your trash bin, but not anymore when using this method to create rich garden soil.

It’s possible to add everything including meat, fish, and dairy products to an organic bokashi bucket without having it smell days later! It’s easy to see why so many people love this method!

compost going into a worm composting bin for beginners
It’s important to chop food scraps up small before adding to a worm farm

What Can Go in a Bokashi vs a Worm Farm

There are a couple of differences to be aware of when comparing worm farming to bokashi composting.

With worm farming, most types of food and veggies are fine to add, but it’s important to exclude onions and citrus because worms are not a fan! It’s also important to cut scraps up small so that they’re easier for worms to break down.

As you’ve already learnt from my earlier list of what not to put in bokashi and what can go in a bokashi bin, practically ALL organic waste can go in a bokashi bucket with just a few exceptions. Although not necessary (like in worm farming), it does help to cut food up smaller to help the microbe activity.

With ‘home compostable’ packaging, plates and utensils being all the rage at the moment, it’s worth noting that these CAN be added to your bokashi bin or worm farm. Although they won’t add any nutritional value to the soil, at least they won’t end up in landfill.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I Put Compostable Plastic in My Bokashi Bin?

Yes, you can! That way, you’ll avoid them going to the landfill.

Can I Put Bones in My Bokashi Bin?

You can put bones in a Bokashi bin but you should try to avoid including big ones because they’ll take longer to decompose and break down.

Final Thoughts on what not to put in Bokashi Bins

Now you know what can go in a bokashi bin and what not to put in bokashi. If you haven’t already, now’s the time to give bokashi composting a try for yourself! Pick one of the different bokashi composting systems, get started, and before long you’ll be making your own compost at home. In a few weeks, you’ll be glad you did!

About the Author

Elle Reed is a passionate gardener and advocate for teaching beginner gardeners how to grow their own food. Elle’s mission is to inspire and empower people to get back to basics, grow their own produce, and embrace a sustainable lifestyle. “Whether it’s a few herb pots in an apartment, a potager or a full garden plot, we can all ‘start somewhere’ to grow our own food, and in doing so, provide healthier food for ourselves and those we love”.