Category: CITIES2030

Tämän blogin on kirjoittanut Sirkka-Liisa Kaukanen. Hän osallistuu Lahti Living Lab:n toteuttamaan bokashi kokeiluun kesän ja syksyn 2022 aikana.

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Sain kesäkuussa 2 Bokashi astiaa ja kompostointiaineet Tuula Löytyltä juhannuksen jälkeen. Olin utelias bokashointi-menetelmästä. Aiemmin minulla on ollut kaksikin Biolanin lämpökompostoria puutarhajätekompostorin lisäksi. Silti puutarhajätettä on viety Kolavalle joka vuosi. Joskus olen joutunut laittamaan myös sekajätteeseen ruokajätettä – ja sehän on tuntunut pahalta! Usein olen pohtinut kuinka ne omat puutarha- ja ruokajätteet saisi helposti itse kompostoitua – TUOTTAVASTI.

Valitettavasti Suomen olosuhteissa lämpökompostorista ei ole juuri hyötyä talviaikana sen jäätyessä. Sähkölämmitystäkin siihen on ehdotettu, mikä ei ole mielestäni ratkaisu tällaisena energiapulan aikana. Oksat olen silpunnut katteeksi pensasaidoille ja perennapenkin kuihtuneet kukanvarret olen laittanut puutarhakompostoriin. Usein kuitenkin keväällä mies on sen tyhjentänyt ja vienyt maatumattomat jätteet Kolavalle.

Nyt virisi uusi toivo kompostoinnin suhteen.

Juhannuksen jälkeen kävin hakemassa ison laatikon Tuulalta. Kotona avasin uteliaana laatikon. Sisällä oli kaksi kaunista kompostointisankoa. Mukana oli myös kompostoinnin lisäaineet ja mitta-astiat. Luin mukana tulleet ohjeet tarkkaan. Sitten vaan astiaa täyttämään. Välillä liruttelin nestettä kukkien lannoitteeksi. Sitähän tulikin 7 mitallista ensimmäisestä astiasta parin viikon aikana. Haju oli kyllä aika epämiellyttävää. Kaipa se oli juuri niin voimakasta. Laitoin sitä kastelukannuun ja kastelin vesiseoksella pioneja ja daalioitani sekä tomaattejakin. Kukat kasvoivat hyvin ja kauniit kukat puhkesivat kukkaan. Aine todellakin on hyvää ja edullista kasvien lannoitetta.

Parin viikon aikana ensimmäinen astia täyttyi ja laitoin sen fermentoitumaan. Fermentoitumisen jälkeen tuli aika sekoittaa se multaan vanhassa kompostorissani. Samaan aikaan täyttyy toinen sanko pikavauhtia, kun on marja-aika.

Parin viikon kuluttua oli jätteet sekoittuneet mullan seassa erinomaisesti. Multa oli hyvän näköistä. sekoittelin vielä hyvin ennen toisen sangollisen lisäämistä.

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Tämä blogi liittyy Lahti Living Lab:in Bokashi-kokeiluun, jossa uudet bokashoijat testaavat ja oppivat Bokashi-biokompostointia.

Kokeilun tavoitteena on tunnistaa kotitalouksien ruokajätteen biokompostoinnin tekijöitä, mahdollistajia ja esteitä sekä suunnitella ja testata parannuksia, käytäntöjä ja ratkaisuja kotitalouksien biokompostoinnin edistämiseksi. Bokashi-kokeilu edistää asukkaiden hiilikädenjälkeä, omavaraisuutta ja joustavuutta.

Lahti Living Lab:n toimijoita ovat myös Lahden seudun jätehuoltoviranomaiset ja jätehuoltoyhtiö Salpakierto Oy. Yhdessä he ohjaavat biojätteen käsittelyä alueella. Lisäksi Esbau Oy, joka on BioProffa-laitteiden jälleenmyyjä, osallistuu toimintaan. Päijät-Hämeen Liitto edistää alueellisesti ruokajärjestelmän muutosta kestävämpään suuntaan.

Bokashi-kokeilun rahoittaa Horizon2020 projekti Cities2030.

The blog is written by Liisa Karlsson in July 2022. It is associated with the Lahti Living Lab Bokashi bio composting experiment and Cities2030 project.

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Originally from Japan, the bokashi method has the potential to reduce and utilize food waste. Introducing the method to the public does not come without its problems.

Although fairly low maintenance, not foolproof. Perfecting the bokashi process takes knowledge of the right bran to scraps ratio, draining the noxious liquid and moisture level, for example. For bokashi composting to become common in urban housing, more education and public information resources are needed.

Where should people in urban settings use the compost? Everyone doesn’t have access to their own garden and house plants need only so much new soil. In addition, the fermented waste isn’t technically completely ready after it’s taken out of the bokashi container, it needs to be further processed in the soil composting unit where it breaks down fully. This step is a major problem for some urban living situations. Hence a city or housing unit would need a common final composting destination. Ideally, this destination would be within walking distance of the housing, but in case it’s not would the transferring of the compost happen with a refuse collection vehicle. This would reset the waste transfer emission reduction. So why should we transfer the responsibility of biomass composting from the waste treatment facility to the public by bokashi if, in the end, the facilities need to step in anyways? 

Maybe we need to renovate the waste system altogether by taking inspiration from the electricity market. What if urban dwellers could sell the produced compost to the waste management industry so that they could forward the compost to gardens and agriculture. Much like we can sell solar energy back to the electric power network. In large enough quantity this could be extremely beneficial for horticulture and agriculture and soil quality. The small reward for composting could work as an incentive for composting. On the negative side, this would lead to multiple transferring trips adding to the emissions.

So, I see two major problems for the bokashi revolution, logistics, and education. If those two could be solved, we might be able to reduce the over 100 million kg of food waste produced in a year just in Finland alone. And on the side help agriculture with the huge problem of soil erosion.

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This blog is associated with the Lahti Living Lab experiment on Bokashi bio composting. The Lahti Living Lab and the experiment engages new entrants to test and learn about Bokashi bio composting.

The aim of the experiment is to identify drivers, enablers, and obstacles of household food waste bio composting, and to devise and test improvements, practices, and solutions to promote household bio composting.

The bokashi experiment promotes inhabitants’ carbon handprint, self-sufficiency, and resilience.

The Lahti Living Lab embraces also Lahti region waste management authorities and waste management operator that is Salpakierto Oy. Together they guide biowaste handling in the region. In addition, Esbau who is the retailer of BioProffa equipment contributes to the action together, with other Bokashi experts. The Regional Council of Päijät-Häme promotes City Region Food Systems transition toward sustainability.

The experiment is supported by the Horizon 2020 project Cities2030.

The blog is written by Liisa Karlsson in June 2022. It is associated with the Lahti Living Lab Bokashi bio composting experiment and Cities2030 Horizon 2020 project.

Money

The city of Lahti is obligating the properties of five or more dwellings to sort and separate the collection of biowaste by 1 July 2022. Biowaste is then collected by independent companies leading to increased waste expenses for the households. An alternative to a separate collection of biowaste is composting biowaste with a composter which will save money. This obligation comes from a new waste act that entered into force in July 2021(City of Lahti, 2022).

In large quantities, compost can replace the chemical fertilizers and retain soil moisture so you water less. These points can accumulate to big money savings for individual households.

Improve your soil

Instead of paying to take the biodegradable household waste to landfills, it can be used to improve the soil of your land. Compost reduces soil nutrient loss and erosion by returning valuable nutrients to the soil. Thus, helping to maintain soil quality and fertility.

Big picture

Composting your waste will greatly benefit society and reduces your impact. Bio composting saves resources by keeping the valuable compost material out of the landfill, extending its lifespan. Also, less waste needed to be collected and transported will reduce fuel use.

In landfills biomass breaks down without proper access to oxygen, slowing down the composting process and producing methane and carbon dioxide gas. In addition, buried organics can react with metals and plasticizers through water flow in the landfill to produce leachate, a potential source of groundwater pollution.

Replacing chemical fertilizers with compost would lessen the eutrophication of our water bodies caused by the chemical runoff. And in long run leads to reduced social costs of eutrophication.

Household methods of composting

Household biowaste can be composted in a well-ventilated closed composter all year around. Other methods are the Bokashi method and Worm Composter. Although according to the city of Lahti these methods aren’t sufficient on their own but require additional composting with a traditional composter.

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This blog is associated with the Lahti Living Lab experiment on Bokashi bio composting. The Lahti Living Lab and the experiment engages new entrants to test and learn about Bokashi bio composting.

The aim of the experiment is to identify drivers, enablers, and obstacles of household food waste bio composting, and to devise and test improvements, practices, and solutions to promote household bio composting.

The bokashi experiment promotes inhabitants’ carbon handprint, self-sufficiency, and resilience.

The Lahti Living Lab embraces also Lahti region waste management authorities and waste management operator that is Salpakierto Oy. Together they guide biowaste handling in the region. In addition, Esbau who is the retailer of BioProffa equipment contributes to the action together, with other Bokashi experts. The Regional Council of Päijät-Häme promotes City Region Food Systems transition toward sustainability.

The experiment is supported by the Horizon 2020 project Cities2030.