There’s no doubt that the holidays are a time when we often end up with a lot more food wastes! Unfortunately, all these different wastes aren’t created equal (not even close), so the best way to deal with each of them can vary as well.
Before we dive in, however, it’s probably not a bad idea to include a public service reminder about the value of leftovers from a human consumption standpoint - especially if you can come up with interesting ways to repurpose them into other, interesting dishes. One of our team members has become obsessed with his “Instant Pot” - claiming you can turn almost any collection of tired leftovers (hogging all your tupperware, and taking up room in your fridge) into tasty soups and stews!
Oh, and don’t forget about your animals either - especially if you live on a farm. There are a wide range of leftovers and scraps that will be well received by different types of animals. Just make sure you do your own research ahead of time, to determine what foods can and can’t be given to what animals!
Getting back to our area of expertise - let’s now look at some of the most common holiday food waste categories, along with our suggestions for how to deal with them!
Raw Fruit and Veggies Scraps - These are among the best food wastes for composting. They can be added to layered or bokashi systems as is (just make sure to follow proper protocols for these approaches). In the case of worm composting systems, you might try storing these scraps in a collection bin (or even freezing and thawing them) to help kickstart the breakdown of the materials.. This will make it a lot easier for microbes and worms to start feasting on them more readily. Just remember that moderation is important - especially in the case of smaller indoor bins. If you have a lot of material (and let’s face it, you probably will), the excess can be stored in the freezer, or even in outdoor containers if you live in a region with sub-zero winter temperatures.
Clean Cooked Veggies - By “clean” we mean vegetables that have been boiled, steamed, baked - or cooked in some other manner - but with very little to no seasonings, oils etc. These are excellent wastes for all types of composting (remember - bokashi is technically fermentation, but it is very often referred to as a type of composting anyway). Unlike the fresh scraps - but similar to those that have been frozen and then thawed - these will tend to be a lot more accessible to microorganisms, so they will tend to break down more quickly. NOTE: Veggie wastes that are heavily seasoned with oils, salt etc are best kept out of vermicomposting systems (especially smaller indoor bins), but they should be ok for layered and bokashi systems.
Bread, Pastas, Rice, Potatoes - Starchy wastes can be a bit challenging in aerobic composting systems, especially when added in larger amounts, since they tend to congeal, become anaerobic and then ferment. In vermicomposting and layered systems, we recommend adding them in moderation, ideally mixed with other wastes. They should be great in a bokashi bin, though (this is a fermentation process after all)!
Cookies, Pies and Other Sugary Treats - This is a challenging category for composting. We don’t recommend adding these types of wastes to worm bins, due to high levels of salt, sugar, dairy etc that they can contain. In larger outdoor systems, they might be ok, but you may run the risk of attracting animals, so it’s probably not recommended. Once again, your best option might be bokashi!
Meats, Solid Dairy and Seafood Wastes - We don’t even need to elaborate on this one too much. It’s 100% bokashi for the win! These types of wastes should always be kept out of home-scale, aerobic composting systems.
NOTE: bokashi is even a good option for bones. They likely won’t look much different when they come out of your bucket, but they should break down more quickly during the aerobic-breakdown phase of the process (and without any of the foul odours you might encounter if you tossed them straight into a composting bin).
Gravies, Sauces, Soups, Stews - Unfortunately, there really isn’t a good composting approach (other than maybe large-scale thermophilic composting) that is well-suited for these types of wastes. As great as bokashi is for holiday wastes in general, in this case it’s a no-go. Liquid wastes shouldn’t be added to a bokashi bin (especially excessively salty liquids). In the case of soups and stews with a lot of chunky vegetables and/or meat, you could potentially sieve out the solids, rinse them and then add to a bokashi bucket, though.
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Clearly, bokashi offers us the most versatility when it comes to dealing with holiday food wastes - but it’s not without its own limitations! Unless you have multiple buckets (or a much larger system) and plenty of the inoculated bran mix, you may end up running out of room quite quickly. It’s also important to remember that the end product of the process isn’t a rich compost you can add straight to your garden.
In our humble opinion, the best overall strategy is a hybrid approach that combines bokashi with one or more types of aerobic composting! Be sure to check out our list of helpful related articles below. Happy holidays!
Helpful Related Articles
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Smelly Worm Bins - Possible Causes & Effective Solutions
What Is “Living Material”?
Bedding - The Most Important Material in Your Worm Bin?
Bokashi - A Simple, Effective Method for Beneficial Kitchen Waste Conversion!
Bokashi Gone Wrong
Bokashi - Phase II: Turning Your Pre-Compost Into Beautiful Black Gold!