There are lots of benefits to using bokashi composting over traditional composting. It’s faster, easier and can compost all of your food scraps. These are great reasons to use bokashi but did you know that using bokashi composting releases less greenhouse gas than traditional composting? And, when I say less greenhouse gas, I actually mean maybe none at all!
Traditional composting and carbon dioxide
Studies show that traditional composting potentially recycles about half (or less) of the carbon into the soil. Where does the other half of the carbon go? It is released as carbon dioxide or methane (over 20 times stronger as a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide). Traditional composting also releases small amounts of nitrous oxide which is around 300 times stronger than carbon dioxide in terms of greenhouse gas effects!! Even under optimum conditions, traditional composting emits greenhouse gases. That is why the compost pile shrinks as it composts. The carbon is being released into the atmosphere rather than being incorporated into the soil.
Bokashi composting
Many of us who compost (particularly those going to the effort to compost at home) are aware of our impact on the environment and are trying to do our bit to reduce our environmental footprint. Realizing that traditional composting has a large carbon footprint can be disheartening. Bokashi composting provides the perfect solution.
…bokashi fermentation does not produce measurable gas emissions in its conversion of organic waste into a nutrient-rich end product that can be used to support plants and crops.
Green, a pilot study comparing gaseous emissions
More scientific research is needed but take a look at your bokashi kitchen composter. Does it swell over time because the fermentation process is off-gassing? No. This strongly suggests that very little, if any, gases are being produced.
And if carbon isn’t being released into the atmosphere this means that more of the goodness from your food scraps is getting into your soil! Its a win-win situation!
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[…] Reduce your carbon footprint with bokashi compost […]
Composting produces CO2, a greenhouse gas, but the point is that it produces less potent GHG mixtures than anaerobic composition in a landfill (bc carbon leaves as CO2 vs methane). WRT bokashi, waste does not actually decompose during bokashi. Once bokashi-fermented waste is added to the soil, it decomposes (ie composts), producing CO2 just like the food would have if composted from the start.
At https://bokashiliving.com/reduce-your-carbon-footprint-with-bokashi/, there appears to be a reference to a study, but the text was somehow cut off. Right now, it reads: “…Realizing that traditional composting has a large carbon footprint can be disheartening. Bokashi composting provides the perfect solution.
…bokashi fermentation does not produce measurable gas emissions in its conversion of organic waste into a nutrient-rich end product that can be used to support plants and crops.
Green, a pilot study comparing gaseous emissions” and then the text just stops. Please fix it and/or send me the full text regarding the “pilot study” and how I may access it. Thank you very much.
The full reference is:
Green, L. “A Pilot Study Comparing Gaseous Emissions Associated with Organic Waste Treated with and without Bokashi Fermentation” [Case Study]. 2009. Print
referenced in Adam Footer, Bokashi Composting (Scraps to Soil in Weeks). New Society Publishers. 2014.
Hope that helps 🙂