Vandra Thorburn, Founder and President at Vokashi New York City

1. Vandra Thorburn
Founder and President, Vokashi, Inc.
An ILSR Webinar
Using Bokashi in
Community Composting
What, Why, How, Who
Wednesday, April 18, 2018 : 1 PM

2.  Bokashi … natural growth over past ten years
 EM-1 the original microbial inoculant
 Vokashi – serving households and small
businesses; 8 years demonstrating bokashi
collection method
 Processing Methods: hole: trench and pit..
 FINAL .. More attention to bokashi; more research
on soils and leachates; more innovation and new
products.

4. • EM-1® is the original
Japanese microbial
inoculant
• Made of 3 beneficial
bacteria: Lactic acid, yeast
and phototrophic bacteria
• OMRI registered product
• No genetically modified
substances
• Fermenting food scraps is
low cost, safe and simple
EM-1® (Effective Microorganisms)

5. Numerous applications of EM
(visit EMRO-Japan for more information)

6. Examples from Europe
•Only EM for fermentation
•Fermentation does not change
color - opposite of
decomposition
•Better than compost
•Quicker turn over to humus
•Worms love it
Source: EMJournal: Pit Mau, editor
Bremen | GermanyAm Dobben 43 a | D-28203

7. •Raised vegetable bed
in a Northern German
garden (type of
spinach)
•With homemade EM
•Own kitchen-bokashi
Examples from Europe
Source: EMJournal: Pit Mau, editor
Bremen | GermanyAm Dobben 43 a | D-28203

8. Examples from Europe
• Gardener in a German
monastery using all organic
waste from the kitchen to
make bokashi
• Excellent results with the
bokashi-fluid as fertilizer
Source: EMJournal: Pit Mau, editor
Bremen | GermanyAm Dobben 43 a | D-28203

9. Examples from Europe
• Devastating flood in Eastern Poland 2011
• Spray gardens, ponds and houses of village with EM
• To kill odors, do away with mold, foulness & pathogenic germs
Source: EMJournal: Pit Mau, editor
Bremen | GermanyAm Dobben 43 a | D-28203

10. Bokashi Method for domestic waste management
in Cajica, Colombia

12. A truly GREEN kitchen
waste solution
Vokashi uses the Japanese
method of fermenting food
scraps called ‘bokashi’,
 clean, healthy, safe and
simple low tech method
 no smells, no bugs, no flies,
no pathogens
 a revolution in handling food
waste
 our air tight bucket REDUCES
need for plastic bags

13. “I thought we had to have a backyard to
compost then I heard about Vokashi. Now
we compost everyday. The airtight lid
conceals any odors and makes sure there
are no pesky fruit flies. Thanks to this
fantastic and convenient service we know
our scraps are being used beneficially for
soil amendments and fine quality
composts.” Lucy Liu, Manhattan, NY
“I am very concerned about the amount of
waste that goes into landfills every day. In
the past, I had numerous fruit flies
surrounding the bin. I have been using
Vokashi for six years: no fruit flies! I am
very happy with the system and highly
recommend it to anyone living in the city.”
Lauri M, Park Slope, Brooklyn
“No more guilt about scraps from food
preparation! And then the Vokashi bucket
goes back under my sink.” Mary D,
Upper West Side, Manhattan

14. "Vokashi is the perfect solution for our
office. It's affordable, convenient, and
extremely tidy. Plus, it's a great way to
reduce our waste stream and show our
customers that we're committed to
running a green business." Neil Carlson,
Co-Founder, Brooklyn Creative
League
"We are pleased to use Vokashi to
compost at Designtex's headquarters." -
Deidre Hoguet, DesignTex, EPA
Awardee for Exemplary Green Power
Procurement
"Vokashi is the best carbon footprint for
the collection and processing of organics
in NYC. And Vokashi’s ownership and
mission meets the highest standards for
socially responsible and innovative
entrepreneurship. I highly recommend
both their residential and business
services." John Okun, Consultant
Environmental Services

15. "Minimizing our impact on the environ-
ment is key to us and feel we all can play
a role. It's one of the reasons we design
products that stand the test of life and
time. Since food is such a huge part of
what we do, it’s important to us that as
little as possible goes to waste. It's why
we regularly fill Vokashi buckets with food
leftover from all our kitchen adventures.”
Kim Unger, Office Manager, OXO, NYC
“As a firm that specializes in sustainability
solutions, it made perfect sense to bring
in Vokashi to manage the organic waste in
our office. This solution far surpasses
other composting solutions our office has
vetted in the past.” Code Green
Solutions, NYC

16. the eco-living compost service
Creating Compost and Soil Amendments

17. Compost Processing Methods
 Trench composting – decomposes directly into the soil; most
natural and efficient process – natural fertilizer
 Traditional Methods – layer into bins and piles with yard and
garden waste
 Pit composting – 10’D x 20’ L x 5’ W – size of a small windrow
– process underground – little longer but huge savings in labor
and energy; much more natural breakdown
 Bioremediation Agent – potential use of fermented food waste
to neutralize and remove contaminants

18. Trench Composting @ Greene Acres

19. Composting @ East New York –
Hands & Heart Community Garden
Top row: Mid March 2011 processed 60 buckets, approx 1500 lbs
Bottom row: April 16, 2011 first harvest of compost using
fermented food waste and yard waste.

20. Soil Amendment Pilot
December 2011 began pilots at Marine Park Golf Course: to test
amending sandy 50/50 dirt. First months no improvement. Added
sawdust and decomposition improved.

21. Soil Amendment Pilot
2012 worked with ESAC students at Brooklyn College to conduct
various tests of ratios of ffw/sawdust/soil. Results are positive.

22. Nicholas Lee received the Environmental Quest: Michael
G. Mann Award for this study and a $50.00 gift card.
Research Studies and Results

26. Efficient Food Waste to Fertilizer Conversion
How Vokashi plans to optimize the Bokashi composting
process with leachate and pellet based fertilizers
By Laura Castelnuovo and Melissa Lee

27. Sample ID Location Container Size Container Composition Weeks until Draining
V1 MPGC 55 gal All foods + EM-1 4
V2 MPGC 55 gal All foods + EM-1 4
V3 ESAC 5 gal No Meat 2
V4 ESAC 5 gal No Meat 2
V5 MPGC 55 gal All foods + EM-1 2
V6 MPGC 55 gal No Meat + EM-1 2
RV3 ESAC 5 gal No Meat 4
RV4 ESAC 5 gal No Meat 4
RV5 MPGC 55 gal All foods + EM-1 4
RV6 MPGC 55 gal No Meat + EM-1 4
LESEC1 LESEC 375 gal No Meat + sawdust 2
LESEC2 LESEC 375 gal No Meat + sawdust 2
GE1 Les Halles 40 gal All foods 0
GE2 Les Halles 40 gal All foods 0
L1 London 40 gal All foods + EM/IM
4
L2 London 40 gal All foods + EM
4
L3 London 40 gal All foods + EM
4
Table A Sample Breakdowns

28. Sample ID pH - 2
weeks
pH - 4
weeks
pH - 6
weeks
Avg pH Salt (ppt) - 2
weeks
Salt (ppt) - 4
weeks
Salt (ppt) - 6
weeks
Avg Salt (ppt)
V1 3.91 4.20 4.10 4.1 9.15 6.39 4.81 6.8
V2 4.08 4.01 4.24 4.1 12.4 8.86 12.4 11.2
V3 4.28 4.29 4.36 4.3 3.34 3.37 4.15 3.6
V4 3.38 3.29 3.52 3.4 4.15 2.74 4.18 3.7
V5 4.48 4.51 4.49 4.5 13.6 11.8 13.9 13.1
V6 4.23 4.27 4.25 4.3 9.84 9.49 11.4 10.2
RV3
4.05 4.14 4.04 4.1 4.43 4.51 5.47 4.8
RV4
3.27 3.47 3.36 3.4 2.20 4.01 4.89 3.7
RV5
4.78 4.65 4.87 4.7 11.9 14.1 14.9 13.6
RV6
4.38 4.27 4.27 4.3 9.65 11.6 11.9 11.1
LESEC1 4.11 3.97 4.07 4.1 16.8 9.16 7.73 11.2
LESEC2 4.11 3.98 4.04 4.0 16.9 9.06 7.64 11.2
GE1 4.16 3.81 3.90 4.0 1.91 1.15 0.965 1.3
GE2 4.05 3.80 3.88 3.9 1.97 1.13 0.922 1.3
L1 3.79 3.76 3.73 3.8 5.34 5.69 10.9 7.3
L2 3.73 3.62 3.62 3.7 4.56 5.37 9.05 6.3
L3 4.34 4.24 4.32 4.3 6.21 7.36 14.2 9.3
Table B - pH and Salt Results for All Samples

32. “Best Composting Carbon Footprint in NYC”
Year # Bkts mo # Bkts yr Tons yr End Product
2011 45 540 6.75 6 cubic yards
2013 105 1260 15.75 15 cubic yards
2015 190 2280 28.5 28 cubic yards
2016 290 3480 43.50 43 cubic yards
2017 305 3660 45.75 45 cubic yards