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Turning vegetable peelings, banana skins and apple cores into a rich compost is the “magic” that happens every Monday at Sustainable Kaipara’s headquarters in Mangawhai.
Volunteer Meg Seabrook, who joined the organisation three years ago, describes Sustainable Kaipara as a self-funding group focused on environmental issues, particularly reducing the amount of waste sent to landfill.
The organisation also provides education on separating waste into different streams, composting and recycling.
“We collect food scraps primarily, along with unbleached paper towels, coffee grounds and anything else that can be turned into high-quality compost rather than being sent to landfill. Usually, four of us work on the compost, and we have one driver who collects the bins,” she said.
The initiative was launched to provide a composting service for people who do not have the space or time to manage their own compost at home, but want to keep food scraps out of landfill, where they are a major source of methane emissions.
“It’s a simple and cost-effective way to deal with this type of waste,” Seabrook said. “We carefully curate the process to create rich compost that goes back into nourishing our soils. We’re providing the ideal environment to let the magic happen.”
The paid service costs $30 a month, and registration is completed through the organisation’s website. Currently, they operate in two areas – the Village and the Heads. All subscribers, whether residents or businesses, are asked to have their bins ready by 8am every Monday.
Meg highlights the importance of community contributions in sustaining the project.
“Some local businesses give us their shredded paper, other residents bring autumn leaves and a woman from Kaiwaka provides animal manure. We really welcome those sorts of contributions because they make our job easier and more efficient.”
Once finished, the compost is also available for sale to the public. It can be used not only for vegetables, but also for ornamentals or to generally support plant growth.
Sustainable Kaipara is open to volunteers who want to participate. Roles vary and may include assisting at the compost site with turning, sorting or bagging compost for sale; helping at events to guide people on correct waste disposal; or distributing informational flyers to households.
