Posted in General Enviroclub News

Date: 13 April 2021

Cathy Ma from the Auckland Council Waste Management team, visited OHS on Monday to speak with members of the school Enviroclub.

Cathy updated students on the council's vision to reduce waste and move toward their zero waste by 2040 target. The council is working toward a circular economy, an economic system aimed at eliminating waste and the continual use of resources.This means that all products are ultimately designed to be reusable. Cathy explained that Aucklanders currently send 200,000 tonnes to landfill each year. To achieve zero waste, each one of us is encouraged to think carefully about all our purchases and to refuse what we do not need, reduce what we think we need and to reuse or repurpose as much as possible.

Food waste accounts for 45% of the material going to landfill. Aucklanders will be encouraged to compost their food scraps and will be provided with a bin for food scrap collection. In an exciting development, the council has entered into a 20 year agreement with Ecogas, a NZ owned company, that will begin processing food scraps using them to make heat, energy and fertiliser, which will be used to grow food more sustainably. By employing a pay as you go/throw rubbish removal system, council hopes that households will be more considered when purchasing and disposing of products.

Thanks go to Cathy for taking the time to speak to our students.