Compostaway

How did Compostaway come about?

We were investigating the use of compostable packaging for products we were wanting to introduce. However, we quickly realised that responsible product stewardship played an important role if we wanted to use this packaging.

Our motivation (a.k.a. passion) for Compostaway came from talking with a friend, who was excited to tell us about how she had used compostable packaging for her Christmas lunch, and then told us how good she felt when she threw it in the bin!
I felt so dissapointed for her…. she had thought she was doing the right thing and had absolutely no idea that compostable ‘stuff’ in landfill would not actually become compost.

We wondered how many others thought the same way, and Compostaway was born.

Why do you do what you do? What is your mission and vision for the future?

Did you know?

New Zealanders use approx. 300 million disposable cups each year, and many of these are compostable, but never end up as
compost?
We thought that was crazy…. and because we love solving problems, we thought we’d do something about it.

Compostaway is New Zealand’s first nationwide collection service for compostable packaging, starting with compostable cups, lids, courier bags and labels. We are currently testing to be able to expand to include other packaging such as compostable food receptacles which may have food left onetc. in the near future.

We have developed an affordable, easy to use service, that is impartial to brands and utilises the already existing courier network to allow individuals, businesses & corporates to take responsibility for their product stewardship and in doing so, meet their sustainability goals.

The innovative integrations, design and systems we’ve developed have contributed to our ability to provide this initiative to the whole of New Zealand.

Composting organic materials at home and in large-scale facilities is part of a growing trend in New Zealand to better manage and re-use organic material. How does Compostaway fit into New Zealand’s composting story?

Currently there are only a few commercial composting facilities that will accept this type of packaging. These services are generally restricted to the city in which the facility is located, which makes collection from other locations impossible.

This means that many New Zealanders have no option but to place their cups and lids into the general waste stream, despite many of these being compostable.

Education is also a factor, with many New Zealanders being unaware that just because something is compostable, doesn’t mean it will magically become compost…. it needs the right conditions.

When compostable packaging breaks down in landfill (an anaerobic environment) it creates methane gas, which contributes to climate change among other issues.

We want to see a cleaner, greener Aotearoa New Zealand, and our goal is to ensure that a circular economy exists for these products…..

We believe packaging that is made to be compostable should end up as compost.

As a compost collection partner, Compostaway is facilitating the waste collection and commercial composting of food waste and BioPak compostable packaging. What happens after the waste is collected? What does the composting process look like at Compostaway

Compostaway is NZ’s first nationwide collection service for compostable packaging. We are able to collect nationwide because we use the existing courier network which doesn’t really work for food waste.

Each box returns to our sorting station where contaminants (non compostable items) are removed. Recyclable items are recycled, and other items are sent to general waste.

We partner with a company who collects our bulk bins and mixes all of our packaging with organic waste to get the right mix for composting, and from there it is sent to their partner commercial composting facility.

Our data shows us so far that we have a less than 2% contamination rate across the board!

We think this is awesome… and shows us that Kiwi’s really do want to do the right thing!

Have you had to adapt your processes to accept BioPak products?

No, we haven’t.

How much compost do you produce in a year?

We are a startup, and have only recently launched. We have not been able to receive data yet from the composters to give us a direct figure for how much compost our packaging has produced. Watch this space!

Do you have to maintain any standards or certifications for the compost?

At this stage, no we don’t as we do not produce the compost. Although our own standards ensure that we are only sending compostable items to the company’s we partner with.

At the end of the process, what kinds of soil are produced, and where do they end up?

The commercial composting facility that processes our collection boxes produces quality compost for many different applications.

How do you manage the risk of contamination to organic waste? I.e. non-compostable waste making its way into the waste collection bin.

Unfortunately, some non-compostable items do end up in our bins*. We manage this by sorting every box that is returned to us, and removing non-compostable items.

*Our data shows us so far that we have a less than 2% contamination rate across the board!
We think this is awesome… and shows us that Kiwi’s really do want to do the right thing!

Who are your major customers?

We have a variety of customers including schools, cafes, government organisations, large corporates, small businesses, and even private homes.

We help wherever compostable cups and lids are being thrown into the general waste stream and are ending up in landfill.