Putaruru Food Waste Recycling

Your new Food Waste Collection service

Putaruru Food Waste Recycling Trial Brochure

This Brochure is full of helpful hints and tips that could help you recycle up to 80% of your waste. By recycling we can help sustain natural resources for future generations.

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Earthcare Environmental is the first company to introduce a dedicated food waste recycling service to New Zealand. A free service operated in partnership with the South Waikato District Council is currently being trialed for 12 months in Putararu before being offered in other centres.

Over 40% of the average household waste is food waste, which decomposes in our landfills to produce methane gas, a major cause of global warming. It’s far better for us to recycle this organic waste and return it to the soil as high quality compost. Launched on 5 April 2011, the Putaruru trial is already proving to be a major success. More information will be published here as we monitor the progress of New Zealand’s first dedicated food waste trial.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does it cost? Why are we doing this? For a list of frequently asked questions, see below.

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What does this service cost?

This trial service will have no cost to the ratepayer or household apart from the minimal cost of purchasing extra bio-degradable liners should you need them.

Why are we doing this?

Over 40% of waste in the average household is food waste. When this decomposes in a landfill it produces methane gas, a major cause of global warming.

Will the food bin smell?

Not if you empty your kitchen caddy regularly into the larger outside food waste bin and tie up the special liner. Our special vented kitchen caddies are designed to reduce or eliminate smells. The outside bin has a sealable and lockable lid.

I don’t have time for this – why should I have to?

It is important that we all do what we can to reduce food waste going to landfill as it generates powerful greenhouse gases and is costing all of us a lot of money. It will also extend the life of the landfill and put off the major costs of building a new one.

Why can’t I use ordinary plastic bags to line my caddy?

Unlike plastic bags, the supplied corn starch bags are fully biodegradable and therefore compostable. If you run out of bags temporarily you can line your caddy with newspaper. Additional bags can be purchased from the South Waikato District Council Putaruru office.

Can we continue to put food waste in our general rubbish bags?

It is great for the environment if we are able to reduce the volume of general waste that is going to landfill. Because of that we reserve the right to refuse collection of any general rubbish bags that clearly have food waste included in them. We will not consider taking that action until there has been a reasonable settling in period of our food waste trial.