The Tairāwhiti Environment Centre, with support from Gisborne District Council, has a super programme of workshops this year designed to minimise household waste and divert waste from landfills.

“Worm farming, composting and learning to make beeswax wraps will show people how to reduce rubbish, can improve your soil for growing food and can save you money,” said Hub Support Coordinator at the Tairāwhiti Environment Centre, Stephanie Temple.

“We run workshops every year, and it’s a great way for us to keep in touch with our community, as well as providing an important educational opportunity to decrease the amount of rubbish we throw out.

“The beeswax wraps workshops are very popular, because they are a crafted, versatile and clean product that reduce plastic waste and are a great alternative to plastic wrap in lunchboxes and around the kitchen.”

Waste Minimisation Facilitator at Council, Darnelle Timbs, said around a quarter of all Gisborne’s waste going to landfill was discarded food and green waste.

“That’s about 61 tonnes of organic waste a week that could be reduced and diverted. These workshops support with tips for small changes around the house, and attendees of the composting workshops receive a complementary compost bin to take home,” she said.

“The vision of Council’s Waste Management and Minimisation Plan is ‘A prosperous region, where each person takes responsibility for using resources wisely so that we can reduce harm to the environment’, and the workshop series with Tairāwhiti Environment Centre helps support that.

“It is estimated Tairāwhiti sends over 3000 tonnes* of organic food and green waste to landfill every year, and we want to make a dent in that.

See schedule of workshops attached. To register or for more information call the Tairāwhiti Environment Centre on 06 867 4708.

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