Spoilt for choice – Council launches home composting trial

Seeing household food and garden waste as a rich resource that is worth saving rather than putting in the rubbish bin is the aim of a new Kāpiti Coast District Council waste minimisation trial.

The 12-month trial includes free workshops and discount vouchers that can be redeemed towards a home composting system or a food or garden waste collection service, encouraging residents to compost more.

Food and garden waste make up half of what is in our rubbish bins and ends up rotting in landfill producing methane, a potent greenhouse gas.

Kāpiti Coast District Council is committed to making a 30 per cent reduction in our district’s waste to landfill by 2026. Decreasing the amount of organic waste going to the landfill will make significant progress towards that goal.

Districtwide Councillor and sustainable waste management portfolio holder Jackie Elliott says the 12-month ‘Love your compost’ trial will equip residents with the information and tools they need to reduce organic waste in their rubbish bin.

“Reducing waste is a community-wide effort and this programme offers easy options that protect and even nourish our environment,” Ms Elliott says.

“There are so many benefits to home composting but we’ve found that many people are unsure of how to begin, or which system to use. Composting your food and garden waste is an easy and cheap way to create rich fertiliser for your garden.

“The trial kicks off with free workshops across the district in May covering the three main composting methods, so people can learn which system will suit their household best.”

Residents who attend the workshop or complete an online survey will be offered a $40 discount voucher to go towards the purchase of a home composting system from a participating retailer: a worm farm, Bokashi bin or compost bin. Participating retailers include Commonsense Organics Kāpiti, Harrisons Gardenworld, Mitre 10 MEGA Kāpiti, Ōtaki Hydroponics, and Placemakers Kāpiti.

Alternatively, if home composting doesn’t suit, the voucher can be redeemed through one of the participating service providers offering food or garden waste collection at the kerbside: Low Cost Bins and Pae Cycle in Paekākāriki.

The trial is funded by the Ministry for the Environment’s Waste Levy fund rather than rates, and its effectiveness will be evaluated after a year.

Visit Food and garden waste on the Council's website for more information on upcoming workshops, terms and conditions of the voucher, and how each of the different home composting systems work.