"Knowing how much waste we were producing each year was yet another motivation for no longer using paper cups.
"Customers were welcoming the initiative with open arms. There are always clever alternatives. We have keep cups available for purchase, people can bring their own and dine in."
Kere says the removal of plastic cups helped stop more than 62,000 of them from going to landfill.
Toi Ohomai has now teamed up with Hamurana-based Volcanic Creamery, and will be using glass bottles in its staffroom and different departments.
A keg system will be installed in the Melting Pot Cafe next month, providing fresh milk on tap and reducing the need for bottled milk.
"There's always room for making bigger and better changes."
With the milk-on-tap system, the milk comes in 18-litre reusable plastic milk kegs that Volcanic Creamery swaps for full ones.
Kere says many people at Toi Ohomai wanted to take a bottle home and not have to return it as it brought a sense of nostalgia.
He thinks being more sustainable should be important to everyone.
Niki Carling, Rotorua Lakes Council environmental health performance manager, says each year 16,000 tonnes of municipal waste is sent to landfill in Rotorua, and more than 5000 tonnes of recyclable materials is diverted from the landfill through the kerbside service.
"Waste is the third largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in our district so every effort that our community can make to reduce waste makes a difference."
Niki says plastics still make up about 7.9 per cent of the kerbside waste stream; much of it single-use plastic that cannot be recycled.
"Council applauds the initiative taken by the Melting Pot and other businesses that are working to reduce their use of single-use plastics.
"They are demonstrating great leadership in helping to reduce waste sent to landfill."
She says Rotorua Lakes Council provides a range of services and facilities to encourage effective waste management and minimisation.
However, population growth, increased economic activity and increased tourism all impact the amount of waste generated in Rotorua.
"Increasing waste volume is not sustainable, and it is important that we all work together to reduce wherever possible the use of materials that cannot be reused or recycled.
"We encourage businesses and the community to think about the 3R's of waste management - reduction, reuse, recycling."
• Reduce
The best thing we can do is to reduce the problem at source through the purchasing decisions that we make. Choose products with less packaging. Say no to bottled water. Use reusable containers rather than food wrap. Avoid buying single-use products that will soon be in landfill.
• Reuse
Find ways to reuse items rather than throwing them out. Donate clothes and toys no longer used by your children to an op shop, or have a garage sale. Reuse glass jars, bread bags, plastic containers.
• Recycling
Clean plastics (grades 1,2 and 5), cardboard, paper, glass, aluminium and steel cans can be put out in your kerbside recycling.
For more information about Volcanic Creamery, go to volcaniccreamery.nz.
