Pet Waste Disposal Bokashi Fermenting System Instructions

Cats and dogs and other domesticated animals daily generate a very large amount of animal waste. Most pet owners are responsible. They pick up after their animals and want to safely dispose of the waste. Fermenting that animal waste is easy, fast and it is by far the most environmentally sound way of getting rid of the waste.

Animal waste left on the ground surface is not an acceptable option. Even if the waste is buried, which is the recommended up to now solution, it will take a long time to decompose. Microbes in the soil can not so rapidly breakdown the waste unless it has been altered by fermentation.

Pet waste on the ground surface or buried provides a ready path of potentially dangerous organisms and parasites traveling with the water run-off to larger reservoirs of water that are readily polluted.

Water treatment facilities will not effectively eliminate parasites like toxoplasmosis. Toxoplasmosis is a parasite that has the well established potential to infect humans and it is particularly damaging to pregnant women. Flushing waste down the toilet is a bad choice.

Collecting pet waste in plastic bags that are then sealed and deposited in cans that are then taken to the landfill guarantees the waste will be retained deep in the ground to release methane for years in a repository of plastic polymers. We need to keep the waste out of the landfill.

Pet waste attracts flies, is smelly, and loaded with lots of microbes that can cause problems. You should not send it to a compost facility. A solution is needed.

Your pet’s waste is sealed in a special fermenter eliminating odors and flies until it is safe to put it in the soil. No more garbage cans with plastic bags loaded for the landfill. You solve the ground water contamination problem by killing off the pathogens while your waste is being “pickled”. Plants are going to love getting all the nitrogen back and you are going to once and for all solve the pet waste problem.

How many fermenters do you need? Consult the table below if you are producing a lot of pet waste and order a supplemental fermenter if you need more time to complete the fermenting process. The starting system comes with 2 fermenters and everything needed to breakdown pet waste.

System Needed for Processing Waste	Estimated pounds of waste per week
Starter system (2 fermenters)	1 to 20 pounds
Starter system + 1 supplemental fermenter	20 to 40 pounds
Starter system + 2 supplemental fermenters	40 to 60 pounds
Starter system + 3 supplemental fermenters	60 to 80 pounds

Cats & Dogs – Fermenting can be done on all pet waste including combined waste from cats and dogs. With cats, you can take the clumped litter and add it to the fermenter directly. We recommend using the least expensive (clay) litter because it is easily incorporated in the soil at the end of the fermenting process.

Some paper, wheat, or organic litter if treated with chemicals can generate unpleasant transient odors at the end of the fermenting process when it is ready for mixing with soil but all litter can be used in the fermenter. For best results use the clay litter.

Bokashi Pet Cycle – Fermenting System to safely and rapidly transform pet waste into a product that restores nutrients and microbes to the soil for ornamental plants is the better simple choice.

Eliminates pet waste odor
Reduces ground water run-off contamination
Diverts pet waste away from the landfill
Reduces greenhouse gas production
Rapidly metabolizes pet waste to nutrient and microbial rich soil for ornamental plants
Eliminates methane production in an acidic anaerobic process
Removes the risk of toxoplasmosis and other parasites getting into municipal water supplies
Safe and easy to employ

Bokashicycle has a formulated accelerant that will rapidly degrade the pet waste when combined with bokashi culture mix in an anaerobic fermenter. It’s easy.

Instructions on converting pet waste into nutrients for plants

Thank you for making a choice to improve the earth! By fermenting your pet waste in the Bokashi Pet Cycle ^TM fermenting system and returning it to the ground you have taken the important step to reduce your carbon footprint and you are keeping our waters clean. You have also kept that waste out of the landfill where it would have contributed greatly to methane production.

By using the Bokashi Pet Cycle system instead of throwing the waste in the garbage or dog park containers, you have significantly reduced the amount of carbon dioxide, ammonia, hydrogen sulfide, water vapor, methane and heat that would have otherwise gone into the atmosphere.

Most importantly, the product you will return to the soil for your ornamental plants will be rich in nutrients that plants can rapidly assimilate. They will return the favor by providing lush, vibrant and healthy flowers and shrubs you will appreciate.

When you ferment the waste material, the odor of pet waste will be eliminated. All of the pet waste goes into the fermenter and the odors are eliminated by microbes feeding on that material in an acidic anaerobic process. Parasites and pathogens frequently found in pet waste are virtually eliminated in the process resulting in a “pickled” product that soil microbes will readily degrade.

We have made the process very simple. You will need two (2) Bokashi Pet Cycle fermenters. One fermenter stacks upon the other. You use the top fermenter adding pet waste and Bokashi mix layer by layer until it is full. You will spritz each layer with an accelerant before closing the fermenter to insure fermentation conditions are optimal.

Then, place the full one on the bottom and begin filling the second fermenter in the same manner by layering pet waste and Bokashi until it too is full. Then take the fermented waste product from the bottom fermenter to the soil (see instructions below). Rinse it with water, and then place it on top of the fermenter last filled to start the cycle again.

While one fermenter is ending its fermentation work, the other (top) fermenter is filling. This process makes the most efficient break up of waste material.

Getting Started – What you need.

2 Bokashi Pet Cycle fermenters (completely assembled) – with the anaerobic locking lid to exclude oxygen while the waste is processing
2 US gallons (7 liters) of tap water
Bokashi culture mix and dispenser
Bokashi Accelerant Concentrate
Spritz bottle for diluted accelerant

That’s it.

Steps to successful Bokashi Pet Cycle processing of pet waste

Stack the fermenters, one on top of the other where it is convenient. Keep the fermenters out of the direct sun light.

Open the anaerobic lock and add to the fermenter ~ 1 cup (300 mL) of Bokashi Accelerant Concentrate.

Now add 2 US gallons (7 liters) of water to the fermenter so that the concentrate is diluted. You are now ready to ferment your pet’s waste in the fermenter.

Place the bokashi culture mix in the dispenser and use either the shaker or the spoon to dispense about 3 teaspoons of culture mix into the fermenter.

Prepare the spritz solution as follows. Add ~ 1/3 cup (100 mL) of concentrate to the spritz bottle and then fill the bottle to the 700 mL mark with tap water (to the point where the neck tapers).

Each time you open the fermenter to add pet waste, also add 3 teaspoons of bokashi culture mix and spritz 3 puffs of diluted accelerant over the deposited waste. Close the lid tightly to exclude oxygen.

When the first fermenter is full, place it below the empty fermenter and continue processing your pet waste. Again, add ~ 1 cup (300 mL) of concentrate and 2 US gallons (7 liters) of tap water before you add waste to the fermenter.

When the second fermenter is near full you are ready to place the first fermenter product in the soil.

In the garden, dig a small trench approximately 1 foot wide by 3 feet and 1 foot deep.

Spread the fermented product in the bottom of the trench and cover with at least 6 inches of soil. Mix the fermented product with soil before you cover it. Leave this area alone for at least 2 weeks to allow the soil microbes to do their work. You will then have high nutrient soil that can be used with your ornamental plants in the garden.

DO NOT USE THIS AREA TO GROW VEGETABLES OR FRUITS. DO NOT BURY FERMENTED PET WASTE PRODUCT WHERE YOU WILL GROW VEGETABLES OR FOOD CROPS.

You can bury your fermented waste in the same place over and over or choose to mix it with soil from another place in your garden where ornamentals will be planted in the soil. You may also wish to put some of the soil in planter boxes.

When you empty your fermenter wash it with water (no soap or detergent as detergents will kill the microbes) and place it on top of the full fermenter to repeat the process of filling and processing waste.

This cycle can be continued indefinitely and you will build a rich supply of soil for your ornamental garden plants that can be used at anytime after the 2 weeks processing in the ground.

The signs of successful fermentation

Smell should be similar to that of pickles or cider vinegar and probably a little sweet.
A white mold may appear in the fermenter during processing – and it is a sign of good processing.

The signs something is wrong in processing

Strong rancid or rotten smell or foul odors.
Black or blue-green fungi growth indicating waste has putrefied.

Why fermentation is not working

Not enough Bokashi culture mix was added.
Accelerant was not properly prepared or used.
Failure to displace oxygen in the fermenter – check that the anaerobic lock is properly sealed.
Over heating possibly by direct sun light exposure or damage to the Bokashi culture mix.

Disposing of a bad batch

Find a place in the garden away from your plants.
Dig a trench and add a handful of Bokashi mix to the hole.
Spread the batch of waste in the trench adding to it another handful of Bokashi culture mix.
Cover it with soil and give it at least 2 weeks to break down into valuable soil for your plants.

Going away for awhile?

It is perfectly safe to leave your fermenter sealed for weeks at a time.

Using Pick-up Bags?

Many pet owners are accustomed to using plastic pick-up bags to conveniently pick up the waste material. We recommend using bio-bags (polyvinyl alcohol polymers) that are “flushable” if this is your habit. Empty the pet waste into the fermenter and then flush the bio-bag down the toilet. This is the safest and most environmentally friendly way of dealing with the pick-up bag.
Note: Even though the bio-bags made from polyvinyl alcohol are considered safe and non-polluting because they dissolve in water and are over a period of months degraded by microbes, it seems to us sensible to generally minimize dispensing polymers into the water supply or soil. The bio-bags are certainly far better than so called compostable or plastic bags because they will more rapidly degrade when exposed to water.

How much culture mix and concentrate do I need?

The starter waste disposal system comes with everything you will need to get started.
How much concentrate or culture mix depends on the size of your pet. For example a very small dog may easily go 6 months to a year before additional concentrate or starter culture material is needed.
1 US gallon of Bokashi accelerant concentrate is enough to make up approximately 16 fermenting cycles.

Cold Weather, Frozen ground?

· When the weather is very cold or the ground is frozen you can empty the fermented contents into a separate container or on the ground out of the way even if it is allowed to freeze. A There is no harm awaiting warmer weather where it can then be worked into the soil.