A Hastings business is celebrating one year of keeping food scraps out of landfill after setting up an on-site composting system for food scraps at its staff kitchens.
The business, Tumu, introduced the system 12 months ago with support from Hastings District Council’s Waste Minimisation Fund.
Tumu project manager, Ben Hamelink (pictured) said the milestone reflected strong buy-in from staff.
“We’re really pleased to reach the one-year mark. Our team has embraced the system and separating food scraps has become part of the normal routine,” he said.
“A recent waste audit confirmed we’ve reduced the amount of food scraps going to landfill by around 70%. Before composting we recorded 55kg of food waste per week. Our latest audit shows that has dropped to 18kg, which equates to around 1.9 tonnes of food scraps diverted from landfill each year. We are continuing to educate staff to keep increasing that figure.”
Mr Hamelink said making the system simple for staff had been key to its success.
“Buckets are placed in accessible locations in our staffrooms and the signage makes it clear what goes where, so it’s easy for people to take part.”
He also acknowledged the support of Sustainable Hawke’s Bay, which helped establish the composting system and provided onsite education sessions for staff.
Mr Hamelink said he hoped other businesses would consider separating their food scraps from their general waste.
“We’d encourage businesses to just give it a go – either do your own bokashi or compost, or make the most of local composting options, including adding your food scraps to the Tumu system. Changing habits at the workplace has a positive influence on how staff manage
waste in their own homes.”
Council waste manager, Angela Atkins said the initiative was exactly the kind of project the council’s Waste Minimisation Fund was designed to support.
“Tumu’s initiative also aligns with the ‘From Scraps to Soil’ event by HB Chamber of Commerce that aims to give businesses practical ideas on how to divert their food scraps from their waste.”
Ms Atkins said a number of organisations across Hastings were already diverting their food scraps.
“Presbyterian Support East Coast, for example, has its own compost bins on site and will be sharing its experience at the upcoming event.”
People interested in learning more about composting and managing food scraps can attend the upcoming From Scraps to Soil event, supported by Hastings District Council.
When: Tuesday 24 March, 9am to 11am
Where: Te Rae Business Hub, 101 Queen Street East, Hastings
Tickets can be purchased online at hbchamber.nz.
More information about Waste Minimisation Funding can be found online at https://www.hastingsdc.govt.nz/waste-minimisation-fund/.
