Almost 10,000 Aucklanders have discovered the joys of composting in the last 20 months, thanks to free workshops.
Auckland Council fully funds the workshops, run by Compost Collective, to give residents better tools to reduce the amount of household rubbish sent to landfill.
Half of the average Auckland household rubbish bin contains compostable material – 40 per cent from food waste, 10 per cent from green garden waste.
Councillor Penny Hulse, Chair of the Environment and Community Committee, says composting is an important step Auckland residents can take to help protect the environment.
“Composting is a simple but really effective way to avoid filling the rubbish bin with food scraps. Instead I’d encourage people to return organic waste to the land by putting it to good use in the garden.”
The Compost Collective workshops will continue to run across the region in 2017 to teach about the benefits of three different systems: worm farm, Bokashi or compost.
With these systems, any household can better handle food and green waste, no matter their size or location. For example, if you live in a small apartment, a Bokashi system would probably be the best way to deal with food waste, while someone with a large garden may want to run a compost system and worm farm.
Spaces on these workshops are limited so booking is highly recommended. Find out more and book
Three tips for composting
- Think of your compost bin or worm farm as a pet: feed it the right things to help it thrive and avoid giving it foods that will make it sick.
- From the ground to the ground: anything that was living at one time is great for compost bins. Think of leaves, vegetables and grass clippings.
- Think outside the box: Did you know you can put old herbs and spices, dryer lint and even the odd latex balloon into a compost bin? Exploring the possibilities will help reduce waste heading to landfills.
