AUCKLAND COMPOST CIRCULAR ECONOMY

COMPOSTING IS GOOD

If we aren't composting efficiently and in a significant enough quantity, there's simply too much going to landfill. When waste hits a landfill, it's a dead end. The production cycle is entirely one-way, and nothing is given back to the earth. However, when we compost, we create a sustainable process. The things we have created, used, and wasted are turned into a substance that enriches the earth and promotes further growth.

Organic waste does break down in landfills, but this comes at a cost. A dump is an oxygen-free or anaerobic environment. The bacteria that survive here produce methane as a by-product of the breakdown process. Methane is estimated to be 28-36 times more potent than CO2 in global warming potential. Methane is terrible stuff.

Approx. 20% of waste sent to landfills is organic. Essentially, this means there is a whole lot of space taken up in landfills with materials that don't need to be in there. This means the lifespan of the landfill is shortened, leading to more landfills being created over time. Who pays for this?  Ratepayers and taxpayers.

Organic waste, as it breaks down, also releases water. This excess water trickles out over all other trash in the landfill, creating a toxic liquid called leachate. This can be hard to contain and leak into the ground below, contaminating waterways and the earth's water table.
Compost is used to help replenish soil that has been damaged and depleted of nutrients and biomass by our high-outcome, intensive agriculture industry. As well as improving the soil's properties of aggregation and plasticity, the addition of organic matter in the form of compost aids plant growth and increases the nutrient density in our food.

AUCKLAND COMPOST CIRCULAR ECONOMY

Organic matter is a very valuable resource. Our planet is a ‘balanced’ ecosystem and each part relies on many other parts for its survival. Most of the life on earth is contained in the biomass or topsoil that lies on the earth’s surface.