Portage Crossing event diverts 90% of its waste away from landfill 7 February 2015

Our waste reduction skills and expertise were called upon once again this month, when we were asked to assist with the annual Portage Crossing event at the Mangere Bridge waterfront domain. Friends of the Farm drew on our faithful volunteer base to monitor bins and help people sort their rubbish into recyclables, compostables and landfill waste, a now familiar process for many Mangere Bridge locals!  

“(The rubbish sorting) was pretty successful and very well received by the event goers, who were very co-operative, as were the stall holders” said one of our WasteWise environmental educators. Of the 198kg of rubbish collected, 130kg was able to be composted and 48kg recycled.  This means we achieved a whopping 90% diversion of rubbish away from landfill! 

Our team is keen to support event organisers with their planning for next year’s Portage Crossing and would love to pass on our skills and knowledge to enable the club to take the reins on waste reduction for themselves.  We’ve recommended that vendors be required to use only recyclable or compostable packaging (rather than polystyrene) to increase the diversion from landfill even further.  We’ve also suggested a more prominent position for bin stations, as it was difficult for people to spot us amongst the huge crowd. 

Thank you so much to all of you who gave your time and energy on your long weekend to help out.  A lot of people found out about our group and our commitment to a WasteWise caring community and loved what we were doing.  Thanks also to the organisers of the Portage Crossing event who’ve shown huge commitment towards reducing waste at this popular community event.  Dale, the MC on the day, did a fabulous job of promoting our group and encouraging people to sort their rubbish into the right bins.  We look forward to supporting you in your WasteWise efforts next year!