Written by Janine Nillesen
It was another wonderful event, on a
stunning Saturday in Mangere Bridge. The
Pohutukawa Festival, organised by Mangere Bridge School PTA and school staff,
combined a carboot sale, food stall, best cake stall ever and white elephant,
as well as performances by our tamariki.
Friends of the Farm were approached early
on to provide advice and assistance around the waste that would be generated on
the day. The PTA did an outstanding job
in making sure they purchased compostable products and advising car booters not
to leave any waste. They committed to
sorting the waste in the food stall area, all the while serving great food and
working together.
As a parent of the school and Friends of
the Farm member, I set up a single waste station on the day for
festival-goers. It’s always encouraging
to see that the children are very aware of the waste they create, and
confidently put it in the right bin. The adults need a bit more reassurance;
it’s very easy to just put waste into the landfill bin without thinking.
Taking that extra bit of time with planning
and having a dedicated waste volunteer makes a huge difference. Every bit
counts when it comes to reducing what we send to landfill. In total, 58 kg of waste was generated on the day and…
only 5 kg went to landfill!
32% was compostable, 56% recycling, 8%
landfill and 4% soft plastic.
This
means that we diverted 92% from landfill- a terrific team effort.
Congratulations to Mangere Bridge School
for flying the Wastewise banner!
