If you want to compost but do not have room for a backyard bin, then a bokashi bucket may be your answer. This type of composting can be done right in your kitchen. A good bokashi bucket should have a tight fitting lid, a sturdy handle, and a spigot to remove any liquid that is produced. You must also use some type of bokashi mix in your bucket to aid in the fermentation process. Having a second bucket may be helpful, so that while one bucket is fermenting, you can start to fill another one.
When most people think about compost, they associate it with a rotten kind of smell. A bokashi bucket is often considered odor-free and may be stored right on top of a kitchen counter. Having an airtight lid is vital to a successful project of this type though, as it uses anaerobic fermentation. The contents of the bucket are basically pickled during the process, so that it does not produce the usual compost type of smell. While the inside of the bucket may not be completely odor free, it may have a fermented, slightly sweet fragrance.
Bokashi mix, which is an important step in the bokashi bucket system, is sprinkled on top of food scraps as they are added. This mixture, which accelerates the fermentation process, is made in several different ways, but usually contains wheat bran, molasses, and water. Although bokashi style composting is typically faster than outdoor composting, you may want to use two bokashi buckets. If you have the room, you can store one bucket to let it ferment, while the other bucket is filled with organic food scraps.
This fermentation process does produce a liquid substance, and having a spigot to drain it may make the process easier. Otherwise, you could find yourself lifting a heavy bucket full of scraps to drain the liquid off every other day or so. The juice produced in this process may be mixed with water and is often used as a fertilizer for plants.
City living can make composting a challenge, but a bokashi bucket may make it a project that is doable in a small space. Using a system like this may be the only way you can try out composting in an urban area. As to where to put your decomposed materials, most city dwellers are able to find a suitable place, such as adding it the soil in a community garden or park.
