Bokashi composting is the most consistently recommended apartment composting method for good reason: it works in small spaces, accepts almost any food waste, and produces minimal smell when used correctly. After two years of running a Bokashi system in a one-bedroom flat, I have a clear picture of what it’s genuinely good at and where it falls short.
What Bokashi actually is
Bokashi is a Japanese fermentation method, not strictly composting. Food scraps are added to a sealed bucket and sprinkled with an inoculated bran containing beneficial microbes. Over 2, 4 weeks, the contents ferment anaerobically (without oxygen), breaking down sugars and stabilising the food waste into a “pre-compost” that can then be buried in soil or added to a regular composting system, where it breaks down in 2, 4 weeks rather than the months traditional composting takes.
The end output isn’t finished compost, it’s a pickled mass of food that requires a soil step to complete the process. This is the biggest misconception about Bokashi: it doesn’t produce compost; it produces something that can become compost.
The setup
Two buckets is the optimal system. While one is filling (1, 4 weeks depending on household), the other is fermenting (2 weeks sealed) or being emptied.
The kit:
- Two Bokashi buckets with sealed lids and drainage taps (£40, 80 for a pair).
- Bokashi bran inoculant (£12, 20 per kg, lasts 6, 12 months).
- A small plate or pressing tool to compress contents.
- A small jar or bottle to collect drained liquid.
The daily routine
The daily Bokashi routine is minimal:
- Add food scraps to the bucket (almost any food except very wet items).
- Sprinkle with a small handful of Bokashi bran.
- Press contents down to remove air pockets.
- Seal the lid.
Every 2, 3 days, drain the accumulated liquid through the bottom tap into a jar. This “Bokashi tea” can be diluted (1:100 with water) and used as a houseplant fertiliser, or poured down the drain (it’s good for drains, killing bacteria).
What you can put in
The accepting nature of Bokashi is one of its biggest advantages:
- All fruit and vegetable scraps.
- Cooked food and leftovers.
- Meat (small amounts; the fermentation can handle it).
- Fish (similar, works but adds smell risk).
- Dairy products.
- Bread, rice, pasta.
- Coffee grounds and tea bags.
- Eggshells (crushed).
- Citrus peels (in moderation).
What not to add:
- Large bones (don’t ferment well).
- Very wet items like soups (drown the bran).
- Anything plastic or non-organic.
- Large quantities of liquid.
The smell question
The most common worry about apartment composting is smell. Bokashi, when working correctly, produces a slightly sweet, pickled smell that’s contained in the sealed bucket and barely noticeable when the lid is opened briefly.
When it smells bad: it’s usually because something is wrong. Common causes:
- Lid not sealed properly (allows oxygen in, leads to rotting rather than fermenting).
- Not enough bran sprinkled on contents.
- Too much liquid not drained.
- Too long since adding bran (contents need regular re-inoculation).
A correctly functioning Bokashi bucket can sit in a kitchen indefinitely with no smell impact on the room. A malfunctioning one will smell strongly within days.
The disposal challenge
This is where Bokashi systems often fail in apartment use. Once the bucket is full and has fermented, you have a bucket of fermented food waste that needs to go somewhere. The options:
- Bury in garden soil: works if you have a garden. Most apartment users don’t.
- Add to a regular compost bin: works if you have one, or share one in your building.
- Take to a community garden: some accept Bokashi pre-compost.
- Add to council food-waste collection: some councils accept Bokashi; many don’t (the acidity can disrupt their systems).
- Friend or family with a garden: monthly trip to drop off.
Without one of these disposal routes, the Bokashi system creates a problem rather than solves one. A bucket of fermented food waste that has nowhere to go is worse than the original food waste going to general waste.
Honest assessment after two years
What works well:
- Diverts 80, 90 percent of food waste from the general bin.
- Genuinely no smell impact in the kitchen.
- Accepts a wider range of foods than other apartment composting methods.
- Bokashi tea is genuinely useful for houseplants.
- Minimal time commitment once routine is established.
What’s frustrating:
- The disposal of fermented buckets is logistically challenging. I rely on a monthly trip to my mother’s garden.
- The bran cost is ongoing (around £40 per year for a one-bedroom flat).
- Two large buckets take significant space in a small kitchen.
- Liquid drainage is fiddly and easy to forget.
- The buckets themselves wear out after 2, 3 years (the tap mechanism is the weak point).
Related: Apartment Composting Without a Garden: A Realistic Guide
Who should use Bokashi
Bokashi works well for:
- Apartments without council food-waste collection.
- Households with access to a garden, allotment, or community composting site within reasonable travel distance.
- People with houseplants who can use the Bokashi tea.
- Anyone who wants to compost cooked food and meat (which other apartment methods can’t handle).
Bokashi works less well for:
- Apartments with no disposal route for the fermented output.
- Single-person households (the buckets fill slowly, fermentation can over-mature).
- People sensitive to any minor kitchen odours.
- Households that already have good council food-waste collection (use that instead, it’s easier).
Related: Urban Recycling Streams Explained: What Goes Where and Why
The simpler alternative
If your council provides food-waste collection, use it. Bokashi is a workaround for the absence of that service, not an upgrade to it. Council food-waste collection is dramatically easier (no fermentation, no liquid drainage, no disposal challenge) and the environmental outcomes are similar.
Bokashi shines in the specific situation where council collection isn’t available but other disposal options are. Outside that situation, it’s usually more effort than the benefit justifies.
Related: How to Start a Building-Wide Recycling Rota in Your Apartment Block
A note on imperfection
Anyone who tries to live more sustainably for any length of time will encounter the same realisation: perfection is impossible, and trying for it produces burnout faster than it produces results. The articles, podcasts, and social media accounts that promise zero-waste, fully-circular, completely-aligned-with-values living are almost always either dishonest or describing a privileged minority who can afford the time and money required to even approximate it.
The realistic version of sustainable practice tolerates a generous proportion of imperfect choices. Some weeks the shopping is a delivery order rather than a careful bike trip to the greengrocer. Some Saturdays involve a long drive to see family. Some months involve a flight that genuinely could not be avoided. The pattern across years is what shifts the environmental footprint, not the perfect adherence to any specific week. A household that is genuinely 60 percent of the way to a low-impact baseline is dramatically better than one trying to be 100 percent for six weeks and then quitting.
What actually recycles
| Section | What the article covers |
|---|---|
| What Bokashi actually is | Bokashi is a Japanese fermentation method, not strictly composting. |
| The setup | Two buckets is the optimal system. |
| The daily routine | The daily Bokashi routine is minimal: |
| What you can put in | The accepting nature of Bokashi is one of its biggest advantages: |
| The smell question | The most common worry about apartment composting is smell. |
Sources and further reading
Frequently asked questions
When working correctly, yes, slight sweet/pickled scent only when lid is opened, no impact on the kitchen. Bad smell means something is wrong (usually lid seal, insufficient bran, or too much liquid).
Sometimes. Check with your local council. Some accept it; some don't because the acidity can disrupt their processing systems.
Yes, when diluted 1:100 with water. Use sparingly (it's acidic). Most households produce more than they can use; pour the rest down the drain (good for the drain).
A 1kg bag typically lasts a one-bedroom household 4, 6 months. Larger households go through it faster. Buy in bulk for cost savings if you commit to the system.
