“The totally natural way to reduce, reuse and recycle organic waste”

Eco Lodges

From Kitchen Waste to Gourmet Greens

At Awaroa Lodge in Abel Tasman National Park, Bokashi has helped solve two separate dilemmas:

the disposal of organic kitchen waste in a pristine national park

and the provision fresh, high quality salad greens and herbs in a place that’s days away from the market.

Fermenting the scraps with Bokashi has turned out to be an ideal solution. Awaroa’s kitchen generates lots of waste so an efficient and environmentally sound disposal method was crucial. The kitchen waste (including sloppy waste and meat leftovers) is collected in 200 litre drums. Wire mesh covers the bottom of the drums to keep the tap free. Each layer of scraps about 8 cm deep is sprinkled with a few handfuls of Bokashi.

Once these drums are full they are kept airtight in a dark shed for a couple of weeks in summer and up to four weeks in winter when the fermentation process is slower. The liquid in the bottom of the drums is collected and used to fertilise the garden. Then the drums are emptied into a trench in the vegetable garden. The trench is filled in and the garden is ready to plant. Up to two 200 litre drums are dug in each week.

The vegetable garden at Awaroa produces about 80% of the salad veges and herbs used in the restaurant. The gardener, concentrates on growing the perishable, high value greens that are also expensive to transport to the lodge, rather than the carrots, onions and potatoes that don’t deteriorate on the journey and store well. As well as using the Bokashi system, the garden uses other organic techniques and is aiming for Bio-gro certification. Bokashi is an integral part of the lodge’s waste minimisation strategy and helped them win the Innovation in Ecotourism category of the 2005 New Zealand Tourism Awards

Awaroa Lodge Website