NPDC and Zero Waste Taranaki are encouraging locals to reduce the amount of green garden waste and food scraps going to landfill by offering a range of easy-to-do ideas whatever your situation.

New Plymouth District residents are sending just under 40 per cent of green garden waste and food scraps to the landfill, a decrease from almost 50 per cent in 2016, but there’s much more to do according to NPDC Manager Resource Recovery Kimberley Hope.

“There’s a lot of goodness in that organic material that can used to benefit the soil and plants, so it seems a waste to just throw it into the landfill bin,” says NPDC Manager Resource Recovery Kimberley Hope.

“If all of that organic material was recycled, the drop in emissions generated from the landfill would be the same as removing 830 cars off the road.”

Any green waste that goes to a transfer station gets turned into commercial compost, as do the food scraps that go into the green kerbside bins.

The NPDC website has been updated to guide people through the options to help them get started including options to suit different size properties and organisations, from benchtop Bokashi bins to how to set up a worm farm or compost heap. More details are on npdc.govt.nz/WeCompostHub.

Fast facts:

• In 2021/22, New Plymouth District sent 27,038 tonnes of waste to Bonny Glen landfill.
• In 2022, New Plymouth District households recycled 1,450T of food scraps from the kerbside.

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