Waste minimisation
I te Kāinga

Waste minimisation at home

We all have a part to play in reducing waste and looking at the ways you can reduce waste in your home is a great place to start. Making even the smallest changes can have a big impact.

Love Food Hate Waste at Home

Limit packaging

Picking up a reusable coffee cup and water bottle is a great place to start, as is saying ‘no thanks’ to single use items such as straws, or hard to recycle items such as polystyrene and soft plastics. When out shopping choose goods wrapped in little or no packaging – your local farmers market makes this easy. Plus, supporting local growers and food producers is better for you and the environment.

In the kitchen

Making the most of what you already have in your pantry and fridge is easier than you think. A simple internet search will provide you with lots of inspiration from what to do with leftovers to how to stock your pantry with homemade staples such as bread, crackers, biscuits and yoghurt. Get your kids involved, too. You'll have fun while arming them with tools to last a lifetime. See the Love Food Hate Waste website for ideas on how to use leftovers and 'scraps'.

Composting at home

Your kitchen and garden also provide wonderful opportunities for you to reduce waste. Composting is a great place to start and by using what you have, you’ll be able to compost all your food scraps, paper and cardboard, as well as garden waste and lawn clippings. Check out our helpful We Compost Hub for everything you need to know about composting.

Choose to reuse

Give second hand goods a new life by gifting them to friends (who doesn’t love hand-me-downs?) or donating those in good condition to an op shop or The Junction Zero Waste Hub. While you’re there, if there is anything that you have been needing to purchase, see if you can replace it with a second-hand item instead of buying new. 

Green waste

Compostable garden waste should not be placed in your landfill bin. Compost green waste at home or drop it at one of our transfer stations for a fee. You can also organise a green waste collection with a commercial green waste collector. 

Only these types of plants can go in your landfill bin: 

  • noxious weeds such as tradescantia/wandering willy 
  • pest plants such as wild ginger, gorse, old man’s beard or yellow ragwort
  • non-compostable plants such as flax, agapanthus or cabbage tree leaves.

You can find more information and see images of pest plants in the below document prepared by the Taranaki Regional Council.

Regional pest management plan for Taranaki

Tips with Rosie

Zero Waste tips with Rosie

Check out our short and helpful videos below on clever ways you can reduce your waste at home. Rosie shows us just how easy it is to start making small changings towards living a Zero Waste life.

 

Zero Waste tips with Rosie

Zero Waste lunches

See how easy it is to make healthy and delicious lunches minus the plastic.

 

Refillable containers

Some ideas of where to shop locally with your refillable containers.

 

Two good choices while shopping

Simple swaps and ideas to keep in mind to help you cut down on packaging waste.

 

Composting

A great way to reduce household waste is to compost it in your garden. Rosie shows us how it's done.

 

Zero Waste Christmas

How can you have a Zero Waste Christmas? Rosie has some ideas for you.

 

Food waste over summer

Quick and easy tips on how to not let food go to waste.

Further resources

Jars of food

Para kore Zero Waste

Email
enquiries@npdc.govt.nz
Navigate
Our NPDC family
enquiries@npdc.govt.nz 06 759 6060
Return to NPDC website
New Zealand Government logo