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