Results from Palmerston North’s food scraps collection trial show appetite for a city-wide service

Palmerston North City Council says many of the residents who took part in the trial were surprised at how much food they have been throwing away. Photo / Bevan Conley

Palmerston North’s food scraps collection trial has saved 16,010 kilograms of food from wasting away at landfill. The five-month trial has ended and the city council is celebrating the results.

Property and resource recovery group manager Bryce Hosking says the results and insights speak volumes.

“We couldn’t be prouder of the impact it has made on our community and the environment. All of this food has been put to good use and turned into compost at our Awapuni Resource Recovery Park.”

The trial was rolled out in late March to 14 streets across the city. An average of 228 households placed their food scraps bins out for collection each Wednesday.

“Most of the feedback received is really positive and a lot of people were surprised at how much food they had been throwing away each week,” Hosking says.

“Some people said their weekly rubbish was cut down by half and a lot of people will be changing their waste habits going forward, like taking up composting. People also tend to like the size of the bin and said it was simple and convenient to use.”

A report highlighting key findings will go to the next council meeting.