You do not need an expensive starter kit to try bokashi. I built my own bucket system from inexpensive plastic containers, a drain tap and a raised insert that keeps the fermenting food waste above the liquid collecting at the bottom.
What is bokashi?
Bokashi is an anaerobic fermentation method for food waste. Kitchen scraps are packed into an airtight container with bokashi bran containing microorganisms. The contents ferment rather than turning into finished compost inside the bucket.
After fermentation, the material still needs to be mixed with soil or buried so decomposition can continue.
What a useful DIY bucket needs
- An airtight lid
- A container large enough for your household
- Some way to separate solids from liquid at the bottom
- Optionally, a drain tap for removing liquid
How I built mine
- Choose a bucket with a lid that seals properly.
- Mark the drain-tap position low on the side wall, but high enough that the fitting can sit flat.
- Drill the opening to match the tap fitting.
- Install and tighten the tap according to its gasket design.
- Place a perforated insert or grid in the bottom so the food waste stays above collected liquid.
- Fill and use the bucket according to the instructions for your bokashi bran.
Why I built rather than bought
The point was to lower the cost of trying the method. If we decided bokashi was not for us, I did not want a large sunk cost in specialist containers.
One caution: fermentation depends on keeping air out. A cheap bucket with a poor lid is not a bargain. The seal matters more than the brand printed on the side.
DIY is useful here because the function is easy to understand: airtight fermentation chamber above, liquid collection below.
