'We can convert our food scraps into a resource': City Hall trial food bokashi soil supplement scheme

A pilot scheme currently running in Cork City Hall sees the council canteen’s waste food each week transformed into a soil supplement used around the city.

Every week, the canteen in City Hall produces approximately 120 litres of food scraps, and, since Christmas of last year, rather than all of that waste going into the brown bin, a portion of it is diverted into something called bokashi.

Bokashi is a process which converts food waste and similar organic material into a soil treatment which adds nutrients and improves soil texture.

The word bokashi comes from spoken Japanese, and while its origins are debated, its essential meaning relates to fermentation.

As a process, bokashi is a composting technique which involves the fermentation of food waste in a special bin, turning unwanted scraps into a probiotic tonic for the soil.

Bokashi bins use the addition of microorganisms to waste, increasing the speed of breakdown and cutting emissions.

Erin O’Brien, executive planner with Cork City Council, explained how unwanted food waste is being harnessed to improve soil quality for the city’s greenery.

“We don’t think about soil much, but healthy soil is the key to healthy trees and plants.

“Using low-tech methods like bokashi, we can convert our food scraps into a resource that improves the soil and helps green the city,” Ms O’Brien said.

Bokashi still has limited use in Ireland, but environmentalists believe it has a lot of potential.

It is a fast process, relatively low-tech, and requires limited equipment and limited space, and— unlike traditional compost piles — it does not require turning.

Members of the public interested in bokashi will find that household-sized bins come small enough to fit under the kitchen sink and are readily available on-line from several Irish websites.