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Proof compostable packaging is winning

Proof compostable packaging is winning

Compostable packaging is growing in popularity and has set off double-digit growth in the organic collection industry. This is proof that our packaging is working in driving the industry forward and towards a greener future.

 

Seven years ago, when we started selling compostable food packaging, no one we approached had considered sustainable options or knew what compostable products were and why they needed them. We Compost’s Steve Rickerby says he now collects several thousand compost bins a week in Auckland and their business is growing by around 10 bins a week, equivalent to 100,000L a year.

 

“The waste stream has changed. People are more aware of what they are throwing away and that services like ours exist. We have diverted almost four million kilograms of waste from landfill,” Rickerby says. “It’s fair to say things are changing fast.”

 

Johnny O’Rourke from Reclaim says, “ Food waste recycling is definitely showing significant growth – it’s more or less doubling each year.”. He says that the increase in demand is from companies conscious of their impact on the environment and wanting to divert their waste from landfill, even if it costs them more.

 

International literature reviews have found encouraging evidence that the presence of compostable food packaging leads to an increased diversion of food scrap waste from landfill.

 

It’s encouraging to see this trend in New Zealand as more companies are joining the journey to a more sustainable way of life and business. Together with our customers, last year we replaced over 500,000kg of oil-based packaging with plant-based packaging. In doing so we have contributed to huge growth in the organic collection industry. 

 

We hope that our customers are proud of this progress. The more we can send to compost instead of a landfill, the better off New Zealand’s future is. Small changes can really make a big difference.