Food Scraps Collection

Collecting food scraps for good

This year Aucklanders will have a whole new way to turn their rukenga kai (food scraps) into something good.

From April, west Auckland residents will be the first in Tamaki Mākaurau to make better use of their food scraps by placing them in no-fuss kitchen caddies and kerbside side bins, ready for collection.

Like your other bins, your 23 litre rukenga kai bin will be picked up each week. The food scraps inside will be turned into clean energy and fertiliser for the growing of more kai.

Let’s support the collection

This is an essential new service designed to drastically reduce more than 110kg of food waste going to landfill from every Aucklander, every year. It’s part of council’s zero waste strategy and, as an organisation that is always passionate about protecting our whenua, EcoMatters is thrilled to partner on this great cause.

Most people care about our environment but many haven’t been able to compost – if this is you, know that by simply using rukenga kai each week, you’ll be on your way to helping remove some 125,000 tonnes of carbon emissions from the atmosphere each year.

If you already compost or Bokashi then this is a smart addition to the good mahi you’re doing for Tamaki Mākaurau. If you support our Love Food Hate Waste principals you’ll find this fits right into that ethos too.

Educating others

Getting in and behind this new service is all about protecting our environment right now, and for future generations. If you’d like to join in and educate people you know, then consider applying for our Food Scraps Grant.

THE DETAILS

Auckland Council wants to divert thousands of tonnes of rukenga kai away from landfill and into something good every year.

Download our Frequently Asked Questions here.

Find out more from council right here.

share the news

We’re looking for community groups and rukenga kai ambassadors to spread the word. Through our Food Scraps Grant, we can send someone along to your get-together to speak and teach, totally free of charge. Or, we can fund a food scraps hui of your own design. Check out our regional grant right here.

complement with compost

For those who can, composting is a great way to increase your positive impact on our whenua. There are food scraps that can’t go into your compost and, now, you’ll be able to put them into your food scraps bin for collection on bin day.

reducing emmissions

The food scraps collection will not be putting any extra trucks on the road. Food scraps will be collected by trucks that are already in Auckland and ready to return to the Waikato ,where rukenga kai will be converted to clean energy and fertiliser.