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Circularising Organics Project

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Why we want to keep organic material in use

Keeping organic material (such as food scraps, garden waste, or cropping waste) flowing through a system of reuse means that value is retained and nutrients can be cycled back into the environment and for food production.

If broken down in a landfill, organic materials are wasted and create methane, a potent greenhouse gas. Instead of sending organic materials to landfill or burning them, they can be transformed, for example through composting, vermicomposting or anaerobic digestion, and applied to soils.

Image - graphic showing recycling for Circularising Organics projectWhy we did the research

Waikato Regional Council is guided by the Waikato Regional Waste Prevention Action Plan 2020-2025, which sets out focus areas and actions to achieve waste prevention and support the development of a circular economy.

The Circularising Organics Project was developed under the Waste Prevention Action Plan to support the development of a robust and resilient organics material system. This can lead to improved soil health, growth of healthy food, reduced greenhouse gas emissions, new jobs and increased mana.

Circularising Organics research available

Waikato Regional Council and a team of researchers created the below resources to help organisations make decisions around organic waste and to create circular organics systems in the Waikato region and beyond.

This includes research on:

  • potential of maatauranga Māori to inform decision-making
  • information and data to support decision making
  • how a network approach to organic material processing could work
  • issue of contamination of organic materials
  • what role community organisations in the Waikato want to play
  • Te Ao Māori perspectives and market opportunities.

Circularising Organics - decision making tool guidance

The focus of this decision making tool guidance is to:

  • Provide guidance for organic materials processing.
  • Present comprehensive analyses of collections and processing types for various organic feedstocks.
  • Discuss the interactions between collection, processing, and market potential of different feedstocks.
  • Provide the foundations for a decision-making tool that includes critical question.

Decision Making Tool - matrix for organic materials

The tool supports decision making on what sort of processing options suit the specific organic waste stream you have. 

View and use the tool

Project supporters and contributors

Project supporters

Thank you for the financial support for this project, which has been received from the Waste Minimisation Fund, which is administered by the Ministry for the Environment.

The Ministry for the Environment does not necessarily endorse or support the content of the publication in any way.

Thank you also for the financial support received from the Waikato Wellbeing Project.

Project contributors

Thank you to our project contributors:

Tonkin + Taylor
Whetū Consultancy Group
Envision
Sunshine Yates Consulting
The Rubbish Trip