Isabel and Andrea, CBD
We’re sharing stories from neighbours in Auckland who are connecting over ShareWaste NZ to divert food waste from landfill. This is Isabel (left) and Andrea (right) at Daldy Street Community Garden, Auckland CBD.
ISABEL
Tell us a bit about yourself.
My name is Isabel. I was born in Spain but have been living in Germany for the last 25 years. I am a Senior Project Manager with a passion for gardening and sustainable living. I am on a sabbatical leave from January to August in Auckland and I’m really enjoying NZ’s nature and outdoors: sailing, hiking, gardening and cooking with my own herbs.
Why did you start sharing your food scraps?
In Germany we use the Bio-Bin to produce compost. If you have a garden you can do it by yourself, but because I lived in the CBD, the Bio-Bin was collected, sent to the fermentation plant and sold as compost. When I came here I wanted to contribute to the sustainability efforts as I did in Germany.
What has been the best part about it?
Firstly, that the compost unit is close to my apartment. Secondly, that the compost units can used by everyone. I use the compost as soil for my plants and for my herbs.
ANDREA
Tell us a bit about yourself.
I am a software developer who loves gardening. I love gardening so much I garden during my lunch breaks at the Daldy St community garden near my workplace in Wynyard Quarter. I also volunteer at a community garden in Mt Roskill with my youth group and have vege patches at home.
Which composting methods do you use?
At the Daldy St garden we use “Hungry Bins” where the worms transform food scraps into compost. We pour the diluted liquid that drains out to fertilise the vege beds and we top up the vege beds with the compost. The compost is so fertile that almost everything we have planted from seed has sprouted and grown so big.
Why did you start sharing your composting space?
We had many hungry bins that were hungry for more food scraps! They are perfect for nearby apartment dwellers to dispose of their food scraps. A simple way of helping our environment by reducing the amount of waste going to the landfills.
What do you love about composting?
It’s going to solve all the world’s problems! Well… maybe not all our problems, but it helps the environment by reducing waste going to landfills, revives the soils with microbes, transforms our gardens into carbon sinks to reverse climate change, and it helps grow yummy healthy vegetables that are more pest resistant. And with initiatives like ShareWaste, I’ve also made new gardening friends!
The Compost Collective has partnered with ShareWaste to bring you a Kiwi version of the web app at ShareWaste NZ.
ShareWaste connects people who wish to recycle their kitchen scraps with their neighbours who are already composting, worm-farming or keep chickens. Now you can divert waste from landfill while getting to know the people around you. Sign up to ShareWaste NZ.
The Compost Collective also runs free composting workshops all across Auckland. Participants get a $40 discount voucher to use on a compost system that suits them.
