Every year, an enormous 160,000 tonnes of food waste is sent to New Zealand landfills.
The hospitality sector contributes a lot to this and food industry players now have the opportunity to have their waste converted into compost.
Food businesses can get involved without having to change their systems, says Auckland restaurateur Nic Watt, an ambassador for the Australasian not-for-profit initiative Compost Connect.
"It's really simple. It's a bit like putting your milk bottles out and then bringing them back in."
Compost Connect supplies green bag liners for food waste which are placed into a green bin that's collected twice-weekly, Watt says.
"They process it and within about three months it's turned into healthy compost."
Watt's Auckland restaurant Akarana Eatery uses their own compost to grow herbs and edible flowers.
Meat, dairy and "pretty much any food scrap that comes off a plate" can go into the Compost Connect bins, Watt says.
Composting with this system is easy, better for the long-term future of the hospitality industry than contributing to landfill and also cheaper in the long run, Watt says.
Because landfill levies will go up fivefold over the next five years, businesses can save money by directing their would-be landfill to compost, he says.
"It's a basic process change… and then suddenly your food scraps are turning into compost that can go into your garden or into someone else's garden… it's a win-win all round.
