“Sure, the yellow rubbish bag goes away when you put it out. But where does it go?
“[It goes] away for our tamariki [children] and mokopuna [grandchildren] to deal with later.”
Gregory reckons Northland residents keen to shrink the size of their increasingly costly rubbish bags can make a solid start at home with composting.
According to EcoCentre - the Kaitāia hub for community groups working with an environmental and sustainability focus - about 50 per cent of most households’ waste is compostable.
Gregory began her rounds three years ago with the launch of Kaitāia Cycle and remains at it, only now with an electric bike and the option to use a van in truly miserable weather.
Each week, she takes her haul to Pam Clark at The Good Life Project, where it’s composted and used in onsite food gardens.
At the Project, Clark mentors adults with intellectual disabilities. Their compost hub was the first installed by Te Pokapu Tiaki Taiao o Te Tai Tokerau (the trust that owns EcoCentre) to support Kaitāia Cycle.
“We set out to create something that could be replicated throughout Northland - a circular system which includes using your compost to grow your own nutrient-dense kai,” Gregory said.
Backed by a $400,000 government grant in 2021, the Compost Connection has since funded the start-up costs of 15 community compost hubs.
It also offers at least eight weeks of support and heavily subsidised composting systems to 400 households per year.
Jo Shanks, manager at EcoSolutions said the project - currently at its halfway mark - had exceeded targets at every milestone but a few more hub hosts were still being sought.
“Every town needs a Waikarere or a Pam,” Shanks said.
“The more isolated communities in particular really want hubs.”
Shanks said people who were going to be composting anyway could benefit from the project’s cash injection for infrastructure.
Taipa’s Jade One-Baxter is one such committed composter and hub host.
She received her $8000 three-cube hub system last August and soon began processing her collection from schools, a coffee shop and the Mangōnui Waterfront Festival.
The system features an aluminium frame and linseed-treated wood panels made from Japanese cedar.
“It’s completely rodent-proof, with an awful lot of design work gone into it. Bones and fish heads can even go into it. It was a game changer for us,” Shanks said.
“The frame will last forever and the wood panels easily a decade before they’ll need updating.”
Shanks said hub hosts entered simple agreements to service at least 20 households or the equivalent waste from local schools and businesses, but stressed that effective composting required flexibility.
As a professional landscaper and experienced composter, One-Baxter has the knowledge to change tack as needed to process each unique load of compost.
People with any level of experience can get composting with free workshops, which run all the time anywhere throughout Northland as soon as 15 locals express interest.
Through a 1.5 hour in-person workshop, participants learn how to sort compost, choose the right systems to meet their household needs and troubleshoot common bugs.
They can then make their own bin, or buy one from the programme for as little as $20 and, crucially, also learn how to rat-proof it.
Participants are offered workshops on many complementary topics, and another 1.5-hour touch-base workshop after eight weeks.
“A lot of being able to do this comes down to knowing you’ll be supported, and having someone you can ring or pop in to chat to,” Shanks said.
“We’d prefer to show you how easy it is to do it at home rather than take your compostables, so you can keep the benefits on your land.
“You’ll find you’ll gain so much. It’s not just feeding the whenua [land]. It’s empowering.”
Shanks emphasised programme organisers’ preference to use local facilitators rather than sending someone from afar.
“We’re basically building connection. Communities didn’t used to send their problems offshore. They sorted it out themselves.
“We want to empower 100 people to change their local neighbourhoods, not six people to change the entire world.”
Gregory said she derived much personal value from her pedal-powered rain-or-shine mahi.
“It reminds me of why I’m doing what I’m doing. It slows me down, gets my heart rate up and usually makes me smile.
“And wow, I can see the changes in the trees, and hear the tui singing, or see the water flowing, and say hi to auntie or uncle and even stop for a chat.
“It’s a breath of fresh air to feel the elements and engage with the community.”
Register your interest in joining a Compost Connection workshop at ecosolutions.org.nz
