Ian Campbell’s story: "Can I reuse that?"

As told to Justine Skilling, the Mangere Bridge WasteWise Storywriter

In 2013 I got involved in the Friends of the Farm and Foreshore WasteWise Initiative because I thought Mangere Bridge was a cool community and I wanted to do something to make it even better.

Initially I attended an information day at the Visy recycling plant in Onehunga, organised by Auckland Council’s Waste Minimisation Team. Soon after I helped out on the “Friends” stand at Ambury Farm Day. My role on the day was to provide information about the Council’s waste collection changes and to introduce people to the idea of a Bokashi composting system. 

Since visiting the Visy plant, my family has started actively using a Bokashi system at home. We already had a compost bin, but Bokashi is easier to use because you can put everything in it and keep it in the kitchen. There are no excuses! Now the whole family is involved and we’ve changed our habits, from putting food scraps down the garbage disposal to putting them in the Bokashi bin under the sink.

The other change I’ve made is setting up a gym at home and at work created from recycled materials. Through my work on building sites, I’ve sourced tractor tyres, mooring rope, concrete blocks, plywood boxes, scrap steel and cable drums to make into exercise equipment. I’m planning to do a personal training course and am training work mates in the gym in my spare time. I’m constantly on the look out for more scrap materials to recycle and turn into more gym equipment.

The most significant change for me has been using the Bokashi bin. It’s enabled me to see what we used to put down the garbage disposal and it’s a physical and visual measure of what we’re saving from going into landfill. And it’s working really well.

Next I want to get a Bokashi system operating at work.  I’ve identified some other “eco warriors” there and we’re in touch about how we can make this happen. At home I’m planning to build some compost bins and get some hot composting going. I’m now looking at everything I throw out and asking, “Can I reuse that?”.

I value the “Friends” WasteWise initiative because we’ve become a throw away society and I think it’s important that we reduce waste. Mangere Bridge is one of the last communities around Auckland that is still like it used to be when I was a kid. Neighbours know each other and look after each other. This neighbourly sense of connection makes us more mindful of each other as individuals, as families and as a community, as well as of our impact on the environment.

Getting the WasteWise message out there is a big job, but we’ve got to keep chipping away at it. No statue is made with just one hit of the hammer.

2 December 2013

A Letter to the CEO of Auckland Council- 6 December 2013

Tena Koe Mr McKay

It's not unusual for the relationship between local communities and local

government to be fraught with tensions, challenges, niggles and

disappointments. So when the relationship is going wonderfully well it's

important to savour the achievement and spread the word.

Last night Mangere Bridge celebrated its annual Christmas parade and I'd

have to say, as a long-time resident (my family has lived here nearly 40

years) it was one of the best. But maybe that's because I was in it and

having so much fun!

I joined the Ambury Farm Junksters, along with more than

35 others, including our fantastic farm rangers (now Council employees), our

local cubs, keas and scouts, and the Friends of the Farm and Foreshore

group, which I and others co-founded.  

We dressed up in costumes made of 'rubbish' and recycled goods, and paraded

through the village wishing everyone Merry Christmas, our personal pride

sacrificed for a good cause!

The medium was the message -  let's reuse, recycle, reduce the Ambury way,

and become a WasteWaste community :)

The farm rangers - each one of them a fantastic role model and good human

being - invested time, effort and creativity to make it a fabulous

experience for everyone involved in our float; sharing their costumes, their

laughter, their enthusiasm, and their goodwill. The crowd applauded all our

efforts and gave us beaming smiles. My 12 year old son, James, reckoned our

float was right up there with the Highlander Band and the Chinese Dragon

Dance - HIGH PRAISE. I got the impression he was quite proud of his mother,

even though it wasn't one of my 'best look' days!

Our Friends of the Farm and Foreshore group is made up of passionate and

generous community volunteers, and is co-lead by our wonderful farm ranger,

Janine Nillesen, who is also a local resident and part of a close connected and

very supportive Ambury Team. We received a Council grant earlier in the year

to drive community-led action towards waste minimisation through

awareness-raising, collaborative community action, and a village business

initiative, driven by our hardworking Village Manager, Carol-Anne Armitage,

who also organised the parade. We're working closely with the Council's

Waste Minimisation Team, Jenny Chilcott in particular, who is a huge source

of encouragement and has invested so much faith in our ability to make a

difference in our community.

Your council employees  (our fantastic Ambury Farm Rangers along with Jenny

Chilcott and her colleagues in the Waste Minimisation Team) deserve a

special acknowledgement for the work they're doing - everyday - to build

strong relationships between council and community. They make it look easy.

But it’s not. Good relationships and collaborative action, as you know,

require commitment and a willingness to make the path together by walking

in it.

Last night at our local village Christmas parade we did just that - we

showed our commitment and made the path by walking in it together. And I was

reminded of this: it's so important to have fun...

Nga mihi nui, na

Frances

Frances Hancock

Friends of the Farm and Foreshore (Ambury) Mangere Bridge Auckland

 

Market Day Conversations- 10 November 2013

The Friends of the Farm and Foreshore were in action at the local Sunday market in November, continuing to educate our community about reducing the rubbish we produce at home through composting, worm farming and bokashi.  We met some likeminded locals who are already doing these things and are keen to be involved in our initiative.  We spoke to several people who are interested in finding ways of reducing the rubbish produced through their workplaces, including an early childhood centre and a stallholder at the market.  

Our signage and educational resources drew people in and sparked conversations about waste issues in our community.  Our initiative continues to build a network of knowledgeable, interested people who love our Mangere Bridge community and want to make it a better, more environmentally sustainable place for us all to live in.   

Farm Day Launch- 6 October 2013

The Mangere Bridge WasteWise Initative had its official launch at Ambury Farm Day.  Several hundred children of all ages tried our recycled paper making activity, turning shredded waste paper into beautiful handmade paper. The queue for the activity and the picnic tables outside the tent proved to be a fantastic place for our WasteWise champions to talk to families about household waste and the upcoming changes in the Council’s waste collection.   

Many people we spoke to were already recycling and composting, and were concerned about the amount of rubbish going to landfill. Most people were unaware of the Council’s plans to change the way rubbish is collected and paid for, and welcomed information.

Our local Friends of the Farm and Foreshore Group is leading the WasteWise Initiative in partnership with Auckland Council. We’re looking forward to meeting more people in our community and talking with you about ways to reduce the rubbish we produce. Look out for us at the Mangere Bridge Village market day on 10 November. 

Contact:

Janine Nillesen (0272160183); Frances Hancock (021 0722696); Meredith Fountain (meredithf68@gmail.com)