Does bokashi composting smell?
OK, I’m going to let you into a truth about bokashi composting…. it isn’t completely odorless! BUT the smell shouldn’t be unpleasant. It should have a sour pickle-like odor. If your bokashi composter stinks and it makes your nose wrinkle and your house smell then something has gone wrong. But it’s not the end of the world and it can happen to anyone.
White mold and a sweet pickle-like smell are signs of successful fermentation whilst blue/green mold and a putrid smell are sure signs that things went a bit wrong this time.
Common reasons that your bokashi bucket may have failed
There are six common reasons that your bokashi kitchen composter may have failed:
- Incorrect chopping,
- Excess air,
- No covering plate,
- Insufficient bokashi bran,
- Incorrect temperature, and
- Insufficient time.
Learn more about each of these bokashi basics and how to help prevent your bin failing.
What can I do with my failed bokashi bucket?
OK, so you now have an idea why your bokashi bin went bad and can hopefully prevent it happening again. What should you do with your smelly composter of kitchen scraps? There are a few options:
- Place it in your green organics bin for pick up at the curbside by your municipality. If you don’t have a regular pick-up you may be able to find a local drop-off location for food scraps.
- Bury it in your garden or compost heap with a generous handful or two of bokashi. Leave it for 4-6 weeks and the good microbes in the bokashi and the soil biota should be able to break it down. Don’t plant on this area of soil for 4-6 weeks after burying the failed bokashi load.
- Lastly, put the contents of the bin in the garbage. This may feel wrong after putting all the effort into filling the composter and using the bokashi but don’t lose heart. Instead think about all the lovely nutrients and microbes that you have (and will) add to your garden.
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How do I get the bokashi odor off of my hands? If I handle it, my hands smell like bokashi, which is not pleasant for people around me.
Thanks for the question. Washing with soap and water should be sufficient to get rid of any residual odor from the bokashi pre-compost. However, if you find that the smell still lingers, then wearing gloves while handling the bokashi bucket may help and using hand tools as much as possible to move and dig in the bokashi pre-compost.
Hi. I started filling a bokashi bucket 3 or 4 weeks ago and it is now 3 quarters filled up. I did not realize that the bokashi tea will collect even during the filling process when the bucket is opened and closed at least once a day to add food waste.
This morning, to my surprise, I turned the tap and the liquid gushed out – it had a foul smell, was smoky but a light colour. The odour was very strong but still bearable. It smelt sort of like the drain of a food processing plant. I have drained all the collected liquid down the sink, and will continue to do so from now on every 2-3 days.
I would like to check what this means for my bucket. Also, is the liquid collected at this stage useful for anything or is it better to wait until the bucket is fully filled and then kept aside for 2-3 weeks without opening the lid? Is there a difference between the liquid that will be collected at that time and the one that is getting collected now when the bucket is yet to be fully filled up?
Hi,
Thanks for the questions and great to hear that you are getting started with bokashi composting. Yes, the bokashi tea can start to form as soon as the microbes start to ferment the food waste. Collecting tea is a great sign that the microbes are fermenting your food waste and your bokashi bucket is working nicely. But don’t worry if you don’t see tea so quickly on subsequent buckets. Sometimes the tea starts forming within the first week of adding food waste, and sometimes it takes longer. It really depends on what you are adding to the bokashi bucket.
The tea collected at this stage is exactly the same as the tea collected once the bokashi bucket is full. We recommend collecting the tea every day or two so that the reservoir at the bottom of the bucket does not fill up and cause the bottom of the food waste to become too wet.
Happy composting 🙂
I recently moved into a house that uses Bokashi. Once it is added to the garden it seems to my nose, to smell very bad. Any tips or tests to help please?
Hi,
Thanks for the question. Bokashi composting can smell foul and putrid if the bin has failed. Often times you will also notice blue/green mold on the surface of a failed bin. This troubleshooting guide provides lots of useful information about why a bin may fail and steps to prevent it happening https://bokashiliving.com/troubleshooting-what-to-do-if-you-bokashi-bin-goes-bad/
You say that the smell is noticeable when the bokashi pre-compost is added to the garden, this make me think that the tea is not be drained frequently enough. Excess liquid in the bin can cause a vomit like smell; especially towards the bottom of the bin where the liquids will accumulate. We recommend draining the tea every day or two. As well, try pressing down hard on the surface of the food waste to force as much tea out of the bottom as possible.
Finally, make sure to mix the pre-compost thoroughly when burying it in the garden. This will break up any large pieces of bokashi pre-compost. It will also mix the soil organisms through the bokashi pre-compost so that they can get to work quickly and effectively breaking down the bokashi pre-compost.
Hope that helps. Happy composting 🙂
Hello
We ae a block of units that bought a bin maybe three years ago. We lost control of it early on and it has just sat in a spot in a not often used courtyard ever since. It is totally out of control. I once tried to lift the lid and there were wriggly wormy things in it and it smelt absolutely foul. We have very little garden area that is not being used as actual garden, so not sure what to do with it. There is one little possible space, but I’m worried that if I buy it worms and all, that the wormy things might spread.
Help Please
Hi Anne,
Thanks for your questions. It sounds like this bin has failed. A successful bin should have a sweet, pickly smell. A foul, putrid smell and the appearance of larvae is a sign that the bin has gone bad. The bokashi bucket should be able to sit almost indefinitely before being buried, so it is unlikely that leaving it for 3 years was the reason it went wrong. It is most likely that air got in to the bucket and/or not enough bokashi bran was added.
It is possible to bury the failed bucket with a couple of generous handfuls of bokashi bran. However, as you only have a small garden space, it may be better the get rid of the contents of your failed bucket and start over. This post has a bit more information about what to do with a failed bokashi bucket: https://bokashiliving.com/help-my-bokashi-composter-stinks/
Happy composting 🙂
Hi,
I made my bokashi bin myself using two buckets from hardware store. The bucket containing my waste doesn’t smell putrid but a vinegar like smell. But just opened the buket collecting the bokashi juice and it was smelling so putrid and it was brown with some bokashi bran coated with green mold. I poured it down the drain but I’m wondering if I should also empty my waste or is it still good (as it smells acidic as expected)…?
I think it happens because my composter is not correctly made. There is some air going to the bottom bucket because the two buckets are not sealed together.
And at the holes I drilled on the upper bucket, the juice seems to be stucked with white mold. Is it normal?
Do you have any idea how I can fix these two issues please? I suppose I can use some tape to seal buckets together but then I will have no way to drain the juice… and I don’t have any solution for the second issue (if it is one…)
Thanks.
Anthony
Hi Anthony,
Thanks for your question. From your description it sounds like there is air leaking in to the lower bucket. The bokashi microbes in the tea are anaerobic meaning that the tea will go bad if exposed to air. You can easily tell if the tea has gone bad by the foul smell (as you describe). To prevent this happening we suggest draining your tea every day or two. If the bokashi pre-compost still has the correct sweet, pickly smell and no signs of blue/green mold then there is no need to throw away the bokashi pre-compost.
The white mold is nothing to be concerned about. In fact, it is a sign that the bokashi microbes are thriving. However, it also indicates that some air is leaking in to your bucket. A fully sealed bokashi bucket will have very little white mold.
Try draining your tea every day or two and see if this helps reduce the putrid smell and green mold. If you continue to have problems with the tea going bad then you should try sealing the bins better. Good quality, airtight bins are critical for successful bokashi composting. A rubber seal or, as you suggest, some tape, may help to seal your bucket.
Happy composting 🙂
Hi Nickie,
thank you for your answer.
Indeed I tried to drain the juice today again and it still stinks… when I smell the upper bucket from the outside, it also smells bad. I presume it is because of the juice dripping from the hole and stucked here (remember with white mould).
So now, I try to seal the bins with some tape. I don’t have rubber and with the current confinement, I cannot buy one.
Hope it will work! Next thing I will try is to avoid adding much moisture in the upper bin; and limit current one by adding some paper, carboard or stale bread. Crossing fingers 😉
Thank you again.
I buried my first couple of bokashis in raised plant beds. They smelled progressively worse until I realised that I wasn’t using enough bran and the contents were actually rotten, not fermented. They are buried in the plant boxes with 15 cm of soil on top. My idea was to layer the bokashi in to save on soil costs. My question is, what do I do now? Should I remove it all? What about the Bokashi I have now that has been sitting for almost two weeks and is surely also rotten? Can I bury it or should I just throw it? Thanks 🙂
Hi,
Thanks for your question. For the bokashi that you have already buried, there is no need to do anything to it. It will take longer to break down in your plant boxes than properly fermented bokashi. But it will break down eventually and create great soil for your plants.
For the bokashi that is currently fermenting. Does it smell putrid as well? Does it show any signs of blue/green mold? If it does not smell too bad and does not have lots of blue/green mold then it may still be able to be saved. You have a couple of options. Either (1) add a couple of generous handfuls of bokashi bran in to the bokashi bucket, mix it through the fermenting food waste and then leave or (2) bury the bokashi pre-compost as usual but mix a couple of generous handfuls and expect the bokashi to take a couple of extra weeks to break down.
Happy composting 🙂
Hi, I have cleaned out my bin and washed with water but it still smells so bad! Not a fermented smell more like a rotten smell,,,, how can I clean my empty bin and make it not smell?
Try leaving it in the direct sunshine for a few hours. Sunlight is a great cleaner. If this doesn’t work, try rubbing with a bit of oil. Any kitchen oil will work and removes most smells from bokashi buckets. Obviously, don’t resort to using bleach or any other harsh cleaners as any residues will harm the bokashi microbes.
Hope that helps 🙂
My Bokashi solids have no smell …But
The liqid smell is putrid even though I empty it every 2-3 days and keep the bucket air tight and always apply the reqiured Zing.
What can I do to resolve this?
Thanks
Robin.
The bokashi’d food waste in your bucket should have a sweet, pickly smell, as should the bokashi tea. If the bokashi tea is smelling putrid then it suggests it has gone off. Remember, the tea can smell fairly strong and some people do not like the smell. But it should still have that vinegary, pickly smell to it. If it does smell putrid it suggests that air may be getting into the reservoir in your bucket. Make sure that the spigot is tightly closed. You should be able to press down on the lid without air leaking out anywhere. You could also try draining the tea more frequently and tilt the bucket as you empty the reservoir, to make sure that you empty all of the bokashi tea each time.
This is my second attempt with my bokashi bucket. The first one failed, producing greenish molds in the bucket and tea with a very putrid smell. The problem is, no matter how much cleaning I did to the bucket, the smell persisted. I tried airing it in the sun, applying a baking soda paste, spraying with lysol…the smell was minimized but was still there. So when I attempted my second try at bokashi, using bran that I made, I was worried that the smell from my bucket will affect the compost tea. And sure enough, it did. While my bucket has beautiful white molds and smells fine, the tea i collected still smell awful. Is it hopeless to try getting rid of the foul smell from my bucket. If it weren’t so expensive, I would probably just go and buy a new one!
Thanks for your question. The tea can have a fairly strong smell, especially if you are putting meat, dairy and bones in your bokashi composter. Try collecting the tea more often, every day or two. The tea can go off fairly quickly and start to smell if not collected regularly. Hopefully that will help.