Remember when everyone said you needed a fancy tumbler for apartment composting?

Honestly, I tried a plastic tumbler bin for about six months in my old place in Phoenix. It was a pain to turn, and if I missed a day, it would get this weird, sour smell. I switched to a simple five-gallon bucket with a tight lid and some holes drilled in it for a bokashi system. The difference was crazy. The bokashi bran stops the smell before it even starts, and I can keep the bucket under my kitchen sink. Now I just bury the pickled scraps in my friend's garden plot every few weeks. It's way simpler and there's zero fruit fly drama. Has anyone else made a switch like that and been shocked at how much easier it got?

3 comments

3 Comments

piperr583mo ago

My old plastic tumbler in Austin was impossible to turn once it got half full. I swapped to a double bucket worm bin, just two ten gallon totes stacked. The worms handle everything, and I just drain the "tea" from the bottom bin for my plants. No turning, no smell at all.

bettywilson3mo ago

Oh man, the "weird, sour smell" from a missed day is so real. I had the exact same problem with my first set up. Your bucket method sounds way smarter.

the_drew2mo ago

Tbh I had to read the bokashi bucket thing twice because that sounds almost too good to be true. @bettywilson mentioned the smell being real and honestly that was the worst part of my old setup. The bucket under the sink trick is genius though, I bet it saves you from having to deal with fruit flies entirely. Ngl I've been eyeing a bokashi kit for a while now after seeing a few people rave about it online.