Action on organic waste: good for the garden and the climate

Managing waste is a challenge, but sending it to the tip isn’t always the best solution, particularly for organic waste. When food and garden waste goes to landfill, it rots and produces methane, a potent greenhouse gas.  

Finding other uses for organic waste, such as transforming it into compost, is not only good for our gardens, it also has a positive impact on climate change. 

On average, half of what we put in our rubbish bins in Kāpiti each week is food and garden waste (as found in our 2017 solid waste survey) [PDF 1.98 MB]. That’s over 4,000 tonnes of food sent to landfill annually from Kāpiti alone. 

In terms of greenhouse gas emissions, 9% of our Kāpiti district emissions come from waste and landfills – and this doesn’t include the transport emissions from moving rubbish around.  

No opportunity is wasted 

The good news is that people, communities and businesses across Kāpiti are taking action to reduce emissions by finding more beneficial ways to use their food and garden waste. 

Council is proud to support our community’s and business’s efforts through grants and outreach programmes. Our Climate Action Grants were funded through the previous government’s Better Off Funding programme, and our Waste Levy Grants are funded by the Ministry for the Environment through Waste Levy fees, meaning there is no rates funding involved in either of these schemes. 

We’ve supported some incredible projects with this funding, for example, Paekākāriki Orchard and Gardens received Climate Action Grant funding to purchase a biochar kiln and run community workshops where people can learn how to transform their garden waste into biochar – an amazing resource that can improve soil fertility, water retention, and help to sequester carbon in the earth. 

Organic Wealth and The Shed Project are using Climate Action Grant funding to expand their food waste collection and turn food waste into a valuable compost resource. In 2024, Organic Wealth prevented 52 tonnes of food waste from going to landfill! 

Other Climate Action Grant recipients include Kāpiti College, who are expanding their composting system and education initiatives, and Kaibosh, who are minimising food waste by redistributing unwanted produce from local orchards and farms. 

Energise Ōtaki have also launched an exciting new Kai Power Ōtaki project based around a biodigester. This turns food scraps unsuitable for composting, such as meat, into fertiliser and biofuel. This is just one of the amazing projects funded through a Waste Levy Grant.  

Waste Levy Grants are open 

If you have an idea about how you could reduce waste for your community organisation, school, or business – and potentially lower emissions at the same time – our 2025/26 Waste Levy Grants are open until Sunday 22 June. For more information see Waste levy grants - Kāpiti Coast District Council. 

Working together to reduce emissions 

Council has set an aspirational goal to become a ‘net zero’ emissions district by 2040. Achieving this goal is about more than emissions cuts and targets – we want to maximise the economic, social, and community benefits of decarbonisation for everyone who lives and works in Kāpiti.  

Finding better ways to use food and garden waste, rather than sending it to landfill to create methane, is a great example of how we can create a better Kāpiti. 

Council has released a draft Emissions Reduction Strategy which identifies waste emissions as a key area of focus. It sets out examples of what Council is already doing to minimise waste, such as establishing Otaihanga Zero Waste and delivering waste education programmes (eg Love Your Compost), as well as proposed pathways for further action. We'd love to hear what you think about our draft strategy. 

Public consultation closes Sunday 22 June. For more information about the strategy and how to have your say, check out: Emissions Reduction Strategy | Have Your Say | Kāpiti Coast