Residential Waste – Bokashi Cyclette™

Bokashi Fermenting System Instructions for Residential Food Waste Disposal

Thank you for making a choice to improve the earth! By fermenting your food waste in the Bokashi Cyclette ^TM and returning it to the ground you have taken the important step to reduce your carbon footprint and the amount of waste that would have ended up in a landfill.

By using the Cyclette instead of composting you have significantly reduced the amount of carbon dioxide, ammonia, hydrogen sulfide, water vapor and heat that would have otherwise gone into the atmosphere. Unlike composting, all food scraps may be placed in the Cyclette where it becomes fermented. Most importantly, the product you will return to the soil will be rich in nutrients that plants can rapidly assimilate. They will return the favor by providing lush, vibrant and healthy produce you will appreciate.

Insects, rodents, and other pests will not be attracted to your Cyclette and it will not create foul odors. You will notice a slightly sweet and pickled odor when you add scraps to the Cyclette. This is normal and it is a good sign things are working well.

We have made the process very simple. You will need two (2) Cyclettes. One Cyclette fermenter stacks upon the other. You use the top Cyclette adding scraps and Bokashi mix layer by layer until it is full. Then, place the full one on the bottom and begin filling the second Cyclette in the same manner by layering scraps and Bokashi until it too is full. Then take the fermented waste product from the bottom Cyclette to the soil (see instructions below). Rinse it with water, and then place it on top of the Cyclette last filled to start the cycle again.

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

All scraps may be processed including dairy (eggs, eggshells, cheese, etc.), meats, small bones, fish, vegetables, fruits, breads – almost anything organic will do but do not add liquid waste to the Cyclette. All liquids should be discarded in the drain, not in the Cyclette.

Getting Started – What you need.

• 2 Bokashi Cyclettes (completely assembled) – with a functioning spigot and the anaerobic lock
• 2 Pressure plates
• Bokashi culture mix zip lock bag with dispenser

That’s it.

Steps to successful Bokashicycle processing of scraps

1. Stack the Cyclettes as shown, one on top of the other where it is convenient and close to your work. They should be kept indoors where it is warm but not in the direct sun light where they might be heated.

2. Open the anaerobic lock and remove the pressure plate.

3. Start by sprinkling 3 - 6 teaspoons of Bokashi culture mix in the bottom of the bucket and place your scraps in the bucket. Add another 3 - 6 spoons of Bokashi culture mix spreading it over the scraps.

4. Place the pressure plate over the scraps and press down to remove trapped air and seal the Cyclette with the anaerobic lock.

5. Repeat this process building layers of scraps with layers of Bokashi culture mix until the Cyclette is full.

6. Once or twice in a week drain the liquid (Bokashi tea) from the Cyclette. You may dilute the fluid with water 1: 100 by volume (1 cup to 5 gallons) and use it to water house plants or garden plants. It will also help clear drains and is very useful when added to septic tanks to keep them functioning well.

7. When the first Cyclette is full, place it below the empty Cyclette and continue processing your scraps.

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

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

10. Spread the fermented product in the bottom of the trench and cover with at least 6 inches of soil. 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 plants in the garden.

11. Wash the Cyclette with water (no soap or detergent as it will kill the microbes) and place it on top of the full Cyclette to start again with filling and processing waste.

12. This cycle can be continued indefinitely and you will build a rich supply of soil for your 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.
• A white mold may appear in the Cyclette during processing – and is a sign of good processing.

The signs something is wrong in processing

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

Why fermentation is not working

• Not enough Bokashi culture mix was added between scrap layers.
• Scraps were too big – cut them into smaller pieces.
• 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 Cyclette sealed for weeks at a time. Just drain any fluid from the bottom before leaving and again when you return.

Image Gallery:

What are the white patches?

• These are colonies of yeast (microbes) that have started to grow. They help in the fermentation of organic waste material.

My Bokashi culture mix has become lumpy and is hard to sprinkle. What should I do?

• When there is a lot of humidity and heat, the culture mix can form lumps and appear sticky. You can restore the mix by spreading it out on newspaper under a lamp. Let it dry and then crumble it back to powder and put it back in the caddy. This will restore it to a form easy to use.

It’s winter, grounds frozen, what do I do with my fermented scraps?

• When it is very cold and the ground is frozen you just put the fermented scraps outside in a separate bin. There is no harm in leaving it outside for months or letting it freeze. When the weather warms, work it into the soil and you will have rich nutrient soil in a couple of weeks. We recommend keeping it in a container outside with a lid until you are ready to put it back to the soil.
• You can pour the tea down the drain during the winter to clean up drain systems.
• Once the weather warms enough to work material in the soil, you should move all the fermented material back into the soil as it can be over-grown by aerobic microbes or oxidized if the weather warms a lot and you don’t put it into the soil. You will probably experience a loss of nutrients if it is left out for an extended period of time in the warm weather.

Where can I find answers to my other bokashi questions?

• You can find the answer to many other common questions at www.bokashicycle.com under the FAQ tab.

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