Approximately half of what Aucklanders send to landfill could be composted, with the food waste alone weighing in at 90,000 tonnes (the weight of 15,000 elephants!). We’re on a mission to change this.
Food scraps and garden clippings are a valuable resource. When they end up in landfill, they lose all their nutrients and take decades to break down, compared to weeks in a compost pile. Breaking down in landfill also releases methane gas, a significant greenhouse gas that is 25 times more potent at trapping heat in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide, as well as liquid that slowly filters through the landfill and finds its way into our water system.
Whether you are starting your composting journey, or well on your way, we’re here to help you, with free workshops, tips and tricks, and plenty of resources. We can assist in choosing the right composting system for you and your whānau, and together keep our valuable resources out of landfill.
Take the next step today:
Find out the best composting option for you using the flow chart below. Download a PDF file with clickable links here.
But it gets worse.
Once buried it doesn’t compost down. Compost needs air and there is no air in landfill. Instead it rots down anaerobically causing problems that then have to be managed.
Liquid from the rotting waste slowly filters through the landfill, washing out all the nasties. To stop that contaminated leachate from polluting our waterways, it has to be collected and treated onsite.
The other big problem is that when organic waste rots down anaerobically it gives off Methane gas (CH4). Methane is a significant Greenhouse gas, being 25 times more potent at trapping heat in the atmosphere than Carbon Dioxide (CO2). Modern landfills do capture some of that methane but not all of it.
But it’s not all bad!
There is something easy you can do to help fix all those problems. Instead of sending your kitchen and garden waste of to the landfill, simply compost it onsite.
Whether its a worm farm, Bokashi system or a simple compost bin you can easily turn all your household kitchen and garden waste into a valuable resource, that can feed your garden or even your pot plants.
Choosing the right system that suits you and learning how to use it properly is the trick though. And this is where the Compost Collective is here to help. So have a read through the site, do a quiz, attend a course or just check in with one of our friendly team.
“Highly recommend. Tori was great. I am a new worm farmer so I learnt a lot.
Sam Shannon
“Very, very helpful. I feel more equipped to start composting.
Cynthia Karikala
“Excellent – very interesting and great presenters. Top marks!
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