Food waste makes up over one-third of the rubbish collected in Wellington.
Diverting this waste from landfills is very important to Wellington Council, says councillor Laurie Foon, and a recent food waste diversion trial has shown promising results.
Fiona and family with the Bokashi bin provided to them for Wellington Council's Para Kai food waste trial Photo: Wellington City Council
In September 2020, 950 households in the Wellington suburb of Miramar were given either home composting equipment or kerbside collection of their food waste.
The amount of food waste these households sent to Wellington's Southern Landfill dropped by a third over 12 months, she tells Wallace Chapman.
Collection of food waste was the most effective method of diversion, Foon says.
The 500 Miramar households provided with kerbside collection reduced their food waste by almost 40 percent.
She was very pleased to get confirmation of how effective this method can be.
"[Kerbside food waste collection] is something we've been debating for years. This was a really good outcome – we know it works."
Ashleigh - a participant in the Wellington Council's Para Kai food waste trial Photo: Wellington City Council
The smell of food waste on the street is something we need to get used to as a society, she says.
"We've got this idea that we throw everything away and [it gets] taken away … We need to see [waste] as a resource, it is gold that is pushing us towards a circular economy.
"[Food waste] is a resource that can replenish our soils and help us grow more food.
"I don't know if you would look at it as yucky and disgusting if you could see the wellbeing it can bring our planet."
In the trial, 450 households were given equipment for home composting – either a compost bin, worm farm or bokashi bin.
These houses had a 16 percent reduction in food waste sent to landfill, with compost bins being the most effective method.
As cities like Wellington become more densely populated and not as many people have access to gardens, the Wellington Council is exploring community composting options.
Food waste is a global issue, Foon says, and people can and do want to be part of the solution.
