On track for zero waste by 2028

Helping Wakatū reach its zero-waste goal by 2028 is Blair Taylor, our wānanga food and logistics specialist. He’s been looking at ways to reduce waste on the outdoor-focused programmes like the annual taiohi and ahi kaa wānanga.

During one of our wānanga we provide all meals and snacks for around 30 people for five days, and around 100 people for the final hākari, so our food requirements are substantial. We aim for healthy kai that fuels people for the physical activities on the wānanga, so this means heaps of fresh fruit and vegetables. In the past we used plastic bags for everything – which added up to quite a few bags! We now do our fresh fruit and vegetable shop at our local greengrocer, and don’t use any plastic bags at all. Fruit and vegetables are weighed as we go, and then put into a large cardboard box. The box is then used for transporting kai throughout the wānanga, and is recycled at the end. Through experience, we’re also getting our quantities just right – so there is less waste overall.

We looked at what else we could buy in bulk that would also reduce packaging and found that going to places like Bin Inn helps.

The way we prep and transport the food has changed, too. We’re using glass or ceramic bowls that can be washed and reused to transport our food now instead of vacuum-packing and using plastic snap-lock bags.

Because we’re quite often eating on the move, we provide packed breakfasts, lunches and snacks. We’ve been using paper bags for a while, and last year we switched from cling wrap to bees wax wraps and this has made a huge difference. Beeswax wraps can be used for almost anything you would use cling wrap, from wrapping sandwiches to covering food bowls. The only things you can’t use them for is meat or fish. With the right care, the wraps can be used again and again.

We do most of our food prep in the wharekai of the different marae around Te Tauihu. Most of the marae have already been separating their waste into recycling and composting for a while now – so we make sure everyone who is on clean-up duty knows where all the different waste products go. During the wānanga we remind all the participants about the need to reduce waste and recycle where we can. We have one rubbish bag per van, and at the end of each day, it is someone’s responsibility to sort the waste to make sure it is all separated into compost, recycling and landfill.

Instead of plastic bottles of water, each participant on the ahi kaa gets a Camelbak. A reusable drink bottle is also now on our gear list for all our wānanga.

These are some of the steps we have taken so far, and we’ll refine what we’re doing each time we run a wānanga. It’s good for the participants to see that we’re taking the zero-waste goal seriously, and to involve them in what we’re doing. They share their ideas with us, and they take on board some of the things we’re doing as well.

Beeswax wrap starter-packs giveaway

We’ve got five beeswax wrap starter-packs to give away. Each pack contains pinking shears, cotton fabric for sandwich-size wraps and beeswax. To go in the draw, email hono@wakatu.org with Beeswax wrap in the subject line, and write what you and your whānau are doing to reduce waste at home, work, or on the marae. Winners will be drawn at random from all the entries and we’ll share the best tips on our Facebook page. The draw closes on 1 July 2019.