Compost Case Studies: MyCrobz’s Bokashi

The following is one of six case studies on the effectiveness and usability of large-scale composting systems in Western Canada, as part of a Masters project with the University of Saskatchewan's School of Environment and Sustainability and the SWRC. The studies provide relevant and useful information to businesses and institutions that may be interested in managing their own organics waste by implementing their own indoor and/or onsite composting system. For each study, a brief description of the system is provided before introducing the actual case usage, to help familiarise the uninitiated. With the broad range of information provided, the goal is to help businesses and organizations decide what type of indoor composting system (if any) is most appropriate for their operation.

Download a PDF version of this case study here.

Related case studies: USask, PV Waste, Hop, Malaspina Village, & TRU

MyCrobz Bokashi System

Bokashi is a Japanese-origin organic waste management practice that covers organic matter in a special mix of naturally occurring microorganisms, called Effective Microorganisms (EM), that ferment/pickle the waste[i]&[ii]. After two weeks of fermentation, the product is mixed with soil and will decompose into nutrient-rich compost in an additional two weeks[i],[ii],[iii]&[iv]. Unlike composting, the fermentation process breaks down the material anaerobically, meaning no oxygen or aeration is required. No measurable gases or harmful odours are produced, as the EM and anaerobic conditions will consume the methane producing microbes and toxic pollutants[i]&[ii]

FermentedBranMyCrobz Bacteria Solutions is a Canadian business that produces and distributes live pro-biotic products to be used for a variety of purposes, from cleaning products to organics waste management[v]. MyCrobz offers the EM as well as sealed buckets and other products for customers to culture their own EM for Bokashi. The system can be expanded to accommodate any amount of waste, depending on the container sizes and quantities, as well as the amount of EM availablev. It is a static in-vessel system that requires only the waste, EM culture, and an air-tight container to process, as well as soil to eventually mix the product in[v].

Starbelly Jam Music Festival, Crawford Bay, BC

The following information, unless otherwise specified, was collected by interviewing Todd Veri, the owner of MyCrobz Bacteria Solutions, on April 19th, June 2nd, June 14th, and June 27th, 2016.

Alongside the distribution of EM, MyCrobz has been offering Bokashi fermentation services on a larger scale for the past 6 years, managing the organics waste for festivals in the region. For this study, the Starbelly Jam in Crawford Bay, BC, will be used as the case example. Using Bokashi, MyCrobz diverted the three-day summer music festival’s 1.75 tonnes of paper, wood, and food waste from the landfill, which accounted for 90% of the festival’s total waste, sending the resulting product instead to local farmers or schools.

StarbellyJam

Space

The music festival required eight (8) 210L barrels, each 2’11” (.88m) high and 2’ (0.61m) in diameter, which should be stored indoors to maintain a temperature of 20 - 30 °C for proper microbial function.

Materials

A commercial shredder/chipper was used to reduce the size of the input material. Collection buckets and bins are required, as well as used dirt for the final processing stage. A tool to pack down the waste in the buckets or bins, such as a potato masher, or a short 4” x 4” (0.1m x 0.1m) post, is also required[v].

Volume intake

The eight drums processed 1.75 tonnes of waste simultaneously, staggered slightly over the three-day festival through sequential processing of daily waste. Any food except large bones can be processed. Paper cups, plates, and containers; wooden cutlery and chopsticks; serviettes and waxed wrappers can be processed as well.

Time/effort required

Pre-processing

VolunteersPrimarily, sourcing the correct waste was required. The food vendors were contacted beforehand to ensure everything was served with paper or wood products, e.g. paper plates and napkins, except for plastic straws, which do not have a suitable similar-priced alternative. Once the festival began, initial sorting of the waste was required:  volunteers separated food scraps from paper products, and removed any contaminants. This process was ongoing during the event while the food court was open, with two people at each collection area, and 2 people cleaning up and collecting from vendors, from 5:00pm-10:00pm on Friday, and 11:00am-10:00pm on both Saturday and Sunday. Waste was also collected by a morning cleanup crew, which is 3-4 people for 2-4 hours on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday morning. The collection required 300 volunteer hours.

Once separated, paper and wooden products were shredded, and the organic waste was layered with the shredded material and Bokashi starter. Each layer was packed tightly to remove any air pockets, and sealed by the air-tight container lid once full or out of waste. It takes two people about 2-3 hours to shred and pack roughly 0.6 tonnes (one third of the festival waste).

Processing

Once started, the processing occurs without any exterior input, and can take about 2 weeks. If properly stored, the buckets can also be left for up to one year without any negative consequences.

Post-Processing

FermentedBiopulpThe fermented product can be ground into finer particles and screened for contaminants and then must be either mixed with soil in a trenched-out portion of a garden, or mixed with 3 parts soil in containers, a process that takes about 2 hours per batch. If in containers, the product is stored somewhere with consistent temperature, ranging between 20 - 30 °C, to decompose. After at least two weeks (more if temperature was lower than 20 °C), the product will be blackened and unrecognizable from the soil.

Odour

The process of fermentation is likened to pickling[ii], and will result in a similar smell. While this odour can be intense, the sealed buckets means the odour is only dealt with during the mixing of the fermented product with soil. Once mixed and topped with a layer of soil, the smell dissipates within 24 hours.

Quality

Bokashi-decomposed organics are considered better than compost for soil. While no formal analysis of the compost quality has been done by for MyCrobz’s services, BokashiCycle has reported on the effectiveness of Bokashi for organics waste management. In the report, nutrient values were tested before and after Bokashi treatment. The tests showed the leachable nitrate values to decrease drastically, and that moisture content as well as nitrogen and phosphorus content increased, suggesting usability for improving soil fertilityi.

Troubleshooting

For Bokashi to be effective, the mix must be just right in layering the waste in the containers to balance moisture. Refining the balance is an art that takes practice; in the case of MyCrobz, it took a couple of years to achieve the consistent results it has now. As well, smaller contaminating items, such as straws or stickers, can be missed in the initial screening processed and require further screening once fermented, which can be tedious.


[i] Bokashicycle (2010). An efficient cost effective alternative organic waste treatment pilot study supporting sustainable farming practices and soil restoration. Retrieved online from http://www.Bokashicycle.com/canada/Armstrong_Pilot_Sep012010_No_AS09012010_Summary%20Report_web.htm#_Toc277662824

[ii] Freitag, D. (2000). The use of Effective microorganisms (EM) in organic waste management. Retrieved online from  http://envismadrasuniv.org/pdf/The%20Use%20of%20Effective%20Microorganisms%20(EM).pdf

[iii] Lindsay, J. (2012, June 12). Japanese composting may be new food waste solution. The Associated Press. Retrieved online from http://bigstory.ap.org/article/japanese-composting-may-be-new-food-waste-solution

[iv] Veri, T., Personal Communication (April 19, June 2, June 14, & June 27, 2016)

[v] MyCrobz Bacteria Solutions. About Our MyCrobz. Retrieved online from http://mycrobz.com/