How Our Household Composting System Works

The Big Picture

 

Most food waste systems are designed to remove waste from cities.

 

Our system is designed to restore soil.

 

Food scraps collected through the Bristol Living Compost Project are:

 

• Kept within the city

• Stabilised through fermentation

• Compost­ed biologically

• Returned to gardens, allotments, schools, and growing spaces

 

Your food waste doesn’t disappear.

 

It does useful work.

 

 

Step-by-Step: How the System Works

 

 

1. You Save Your Food Scraps at Home

 

As a member, you collect food waste using:

 

• A clean, sealable bucket

• Bokashi bran (a mix of beneficial microbes)

 

You can add:

 

• Fruit and vegetables

• Cooked food and leftovers

• Bread, grains, tea bags

 

The bokashi fermentation process:

 

• Prevents rotting

• Locks in nutrients

• Keeps everything odour-free

 

No plastic.

No liquids.

 

 

2. We Collect Your Food Waste Locally

 

When your bucket is full, you request a collection.

 

We:

 

• Collect food waste across Bristol

• Swap your full bucket for a clean one

• Top up your bokashi bran

 

Collections are planned to keep routes short, efficient, and local.

 

Nothing is transported out of the city.

 

 

3. Fermentation Stabilises Nutrients

 

Before composting, food waste is:

 

• Fermented using bokashi microorganisms

• Acidified to prevent nutrient loss

• Stabilised so it doesn’t smell or attract pests

 

This step protects carbon, nitrogen, and trace nutrients that are often lost in conventional systems.

 

 

4. Composting Happens in Bristol

 

After fermentation, material is:

 

• Compost­ed under managed aerobic conditions

• Carefully monitored for biology, moisture, and structure

• Allowed to develop diverse microbial communities

 

We prioritise soil health over speed.

 

This produces compost that supports:

 

• Soil structure

• Water retention

• Microbial life

• Long-term fertility

 

 

5. Compost Matures Into Living Soil Food

 

The compost is then matured until:

 

• Biological communities stabilise

• Nutrients become plant-available

• The compost is safe and effective to use

 

The result is living compost, not inert digestate.

 

 

6. Nutrients Return to Bristol Soil

 

Finished compost is returned to:

 

• Community gardens

• Allotments

• Schools

• Urban growing projects

• Our food forest market garden

 

Members can:

 

• Receive compost back

• Donate compost locally

• Support soil regeneration across the city

 

The loop is complete.

 

 

Why This System Works Better

 

Our approach is different because it is:

 

• Local. Food waste never leaves Bristol

• Biological. Microbes do the work, not chemicals

• Clean. No smells, flies, or mess at home

• Circular. Nutrients return to where food is grown

• Transparent. You know exactly where your waste goes

 

This isn’t waste disposal.

 

It’s soil building.

 

 

What This Means for Bristol

 

When household food waste stays local:

 

• Transport emissions are reduced

• Urban soils regain carbon and structure

• Water absorption improves, reducing flood risk

• Food growing becomes more resilient

• People reconnect with natural cycles

 

Small actions, multiplied across a city, create real change.

 

 

See the System in Action

 

👉 Join the Bristol Living Compost Project

👉 View Pricing & Membership Options

👉 Read Frequently Asked Questions

 

 

Composting With Care, Not Control

 

The Bristol Living Compost Project is designed to fit real life.

 

No complicated rules.

No guilt.

No greenwashing.

 

Just a working system that turns food waste into living soil right here in Bristol.

 

Made in Bristol.

Powered by people, compost, and hope.