Why should you recycle or compost food waste?
Food Waste Recycling Is No Longer Just For The “Tree Huggers”.
Ever thought about what happens to the food you toss in the bin?
Every month, the average household throws away about 20 kg of food—that’s like wasting several bags of groceries. But it’s not just about the waste. When food rots in landfills, it releases harmful gases that pollute our air and contribute to climate change.
Imagine this: in just two weeks, the food waste from one household creates as much pollution as driving a car for 25 kilometers. Multiply that by millions of homes, and we’re talking about the same impact as 437,000 cars on the road every year.
Here’s the good news—composting with Bokashi can cut those harmful emissions by 98%. It’s an easy way to turn food waste into something useful, like healthy soil for growing food, while doing your part to protect the planet.
What is Bokashi Bran?
Who we are
Bokashi Bran® was established in April 2012 with a vision to produce the highest quality bokashi to divert food waste from landfill where it causes significant environmental damage.
This method of recycling food waste to compost has many benefits:
• Job creation
• Food security
• Quality and quantity of recyclable materials
• Nutrient-rich soils
• Better water-holding capacity of soil
Join the Green Revolution. Buy Bokashi Bran Online.
Additionally, check out our YouTube channel for plenty of video advice and “how-to” resources.
- Reduce food waste at the landfill
- Reduce greenhouse gas emissions
- Increase recycling of plastic, tin, and glass
- Improve soil quality
- Higher water-holding capacity of soil
- Less groundwater contamination
Did you know that food waste makes up nearly 40% of what households throw away? In restaurants and hotels, it’s often even more.
Throwing food waste in landfills doesn’t just waste food—it causes serious problems. As food rots, it smells bad, attracts pests like flies and maggots, and costs more because waste needs to be collected more often.
But with the Bokashi Bran® system, there’s a better way. Bokashi treats food waste before turning it into compost, preventing it from rotting and smelling. Fewer collections mean lower costs, and you won’t have to deal with smelly bins or unwanted pests.
Most importantly, dumping food waste in landfills releases methane gas, which is 84 times more harmful than carbon dioxide over 20 years. Bokashi stops this by keeping food waste out of landfills entirely—saving space, protecting our water from pollution, and cutting harmful emissions.
- Liquid ban from landfill (passed Sept 2019)
- Waste with a pH value of <6 or >12 – is banned from landfill.
- National Waste Minimisation Strategy – organic waste ban from landfill by 2027.
- Carbon Tax Act 15 of 2019
Did you know that food waste is technically already banned from landfills in South Africa?
Since 2019, waste with high moisture content—like food waste—is not allowed in landfills. Plus, new laws aim to divert half of all organic waste from landfills by 2022, with a full ban planned by 2027.
But why does this matter?
Landfills are running out of space fast, and food waste is a major contributor to this problem. On top of that, when food waste breaks down in landfills, it releases methane gas—one of the biggest drivers of climate change. In fact, one tonne of dumped food waste creates as much pollution as driving a car for thousands of kilometers!
- Job creation
- Food security
- Clean environment
- Reduced waste
Our programme empowers entrepreneurs to collect and process food waste from their communities, transforming it into valuable compost and fresh produce. Healthy soil leads to healthy food, making food security—one of the UN’s top sustainability goals—within reach.
With Bokashi Bran® buckets, food waste is sealed, preventing flies, maggots, rats, and unpleasant smells. Instead of being a nuisance, waste becomes a resource.By separating food waste at the source, recycling of plastics, glass, and paper becomes easier, and less waste ends up in landfills. Plus, it encourages people to think twice about the food they throw away.
Safe to compost
- Cooked food
- Meat products (proteins)
- Dairy
Discover the Power Behind Bokashi Bran®
Bokashi Bran® is powered by EM (Effective Microorganisms), discovered by Dr. Teruo Higa, a horticultural microbiologist from Japan. EM technology has been globally recognized for over 40 years, benefiting agriculture, waste treatment, and even human health.
Why Choose Bokashi Bran®?
As the only Bokashi product in South Africa with the certified EMRO® logo, Bokashi Bran® ensures authenticity and quality. EM® technology makes it possible to compost food waste that traditionally couldn’t be composted, such as cooked food, meat, and dairy, by eliminating harmful pathogens like E-coli and Salmonella.
A Sustainable Innovation for Waste Management
Bokashi Bran® transforms food waste into valuable compost quickly and safely, speeding up decomposition through fermentation and heat generation. This sustainable solution helps reduce food waste, enriches soil, and supports environmental well-being.
- Cost of wasting food
- Waste collection costs
Taking a very conservative view, the cost of food is about R11 per kg. So an average household wastes about R220 per month in food waste.
The Bokashi Bran® system highlights the amount of food waste that is thrown away and creates awareness of food waste.
A weekly garbage collection is expensive. If food waste were separated at source and treated with bokashi, rather than added to the general waste stream, a weekly pickup would not be necessary and could be switched to a monthly pickup.
The food waste nexus is a critical issue that demands our attention. Shockingly, one-third of all food produced is wasted. The input resources involved in agriculture, energy, labour, water resources, global warming, and depleted soils are all at risk when we waste food.
As a society, we need to become more mindful of our food waste. We must take action to reduce waste and ensure that our resources are used more effectively. This means being more responsible about food production and consumption and implementing innovative solutions to tackle this complex issue.
By addressing the food waste nexus, we can make a significant positive impact on the planet, our communities, and our economies. It’s time to take action and prioritize this pressing issue. Together, we can create a better, more sustainable future for all.
Some of our Clients
