A new online platform is helping connect people who want to recycle their kitchen scraps with their neighbours who already compost – letting them put more goodness back into their gardens.
And as an additional joy for at least one participant, it's helping them get to know their neighbours too.
Helping people do the right thing
Karyn Borella, from Orewa, recently moved into a short-term apartment and used Sharewaste to find neighbour Richard Lee, who agreed to take her compost.
"Our experience in Auckland would not have been the same without this partnership," says Karen.
"It was so important to us to 'do the right thing' and make sure our food waste didn't wind up in the rubbish!"
"Not only was the partnership mutually beneficial, it was also eye-opening to see how much food waste we were producing as a family of four each week – we are now working hard to try to reduce that amount."
Benefits on both sides
Their neighbour Richard was thrilled to be able to help Karyn dispose of her food waste – and found that taking the extra scraps brought some tangible benefits in his garden.
Richard used Karyn's food scraps to make a mini compost heap for his banana plants.
"The bananas loved it and put on a good two metres of growth in a very short time," says Richard. "They are currently flowering, so I am expecting my first Sharewaste bananas to ripen early next spring!
"It has been great to connect with someone in my local neighbourhood who wants to help grow my compost and help reduce what goes to landfill."
How does Sharewaste work?
Simply sign up online to connect with people near you.
If you are like Karyn and want to put your scraps to good use but don't have the means to do so yourself, you can find someone with a composter, worm farm or chickens.
Or if you're looking to grow your own compost pile, you can register yourself so others can drop their scraps to you.
Visit the Compost Collective website for more information on composting, or to sign up to a free composting course.
