Sustainable Taranaki works alongside schools, businesses and community groups to encourage practical sustainability and help ensure a thriving environment for the generations to come. Programme managers run a range of projects, including Green Loop, their latest pilot project.
“Green Loop will be set up as a self-sustainable social enterprise. We collect food waste and turn it into healthy, microbially dense soil using a fermenting system called Bokashi,” said Mieke Verschoor, Organic Projects Manager.
“Taranaki’s food scraps are currently hauled 300km north, costing money and creating emissions. Green Loop will keep them local, turning waste into a resource for our soils.
“We’ll start with five businesses, auditing their waste and setting them up with Bokashi bins layered with mulch and biochar to absorb liquid and odours. They add food scraps and zing to ferment, and we collect and replace the bins regularly.
“Full bins go to a local farm where the Johnson Su static system turns the scraps into microbe-rich compost with no turning required and no hassle for the farmer,” said Mieke.
Toi Foundation innovation funding has given Sustainable Taranaki the confidence to buy supplies in bulk and recruit businesses and farmers, knowing they have enough funds to run the project.
“Progress was slow on a shoestring budget, with no guarantee the project would go ahead. The grant meant we could approach businesses and secure better supplier deals. Now we can move quickly,” said Joe Turton, Operations Team Leader.
A wide range of businesses are on board, keen to take ownership of their waste, improve sustainability, and help farmers regenerate soils. Joe also sees potential for households to contribute to community composts.
“While big cities have composting plants or biogas facilities, many smaller areas still truck food waste out or send it to landfill. Green Loop aims to change that.
“We’re building a blueprint — sharing everything, including our mistakes — so other provinces can adapt the model. That’s only possible thanks to the confidence Toi has given us.”
