zero waste and recycling workshop 2023, Dunedin centric but relevant for all of New Zealand.

The Zero Waste hierarchy is an action-taking framework that we can use to guide us through the process of reducing and reusing our stuff. Using this frame of reference we can co-create our way towards a more circular system! At Res.Awesome we are always on the lookout for opportunities that can assist our community in growing more resilience and building soil. That’s why Res.Awesome and Why Waste worm farms are now collaborating to create on-site solutions to your food waste problems.

Our Kaiwhakaara Fi has taken on the local Ōtepoti role of managing the Why Waste subscription worm farms, this means that once a month she gets to travel around Ōtepoti meeting people who love creating soil and servicing their worm farms. Making sure they are still thriving and getting all the goodness they need to continue serving your garden or office.

The team at Res.Awesome love supporting community reuse in action. Moving towards zero-waste means taking many pathways and investing in multiple solutions. Creating results that are higher up the zero-waste hierarchy than just recycling.

Refuse and Reuse is at the top of the zero waste hierarchy, and these are new old skills that we need to rediscover and part of our infrastructure system we must invest in. We are pleased to see that there is investment happening in this space locally from the Dunedin City Council. With these new upgrades to our curbside recycling systems being put in place over the coming years, we also need to invest in a reuse economy for all the other stuff that needs to be rehomed, and rediscover others’ treasures.

This is why we at Res.Awesome support and are now collaborating with The Restore Dunedin, our Kaiwhakaara Fi was invited to join the Restore Dunedin’s committee table as they go through some exciting upgrades.

The Restore Dunedin supports Habitat for Humanity’s Dunedin efforts to support the community with low-cost housing and housing repair.

Habitat for Humanity New Zealand is a not-for-profit organisation that works in partnership with people of goodwill and families in housing need, to eliminate sub-standard housing.

When you shop or donate goods to the Restore you are supporting your local community to have better housing. Now that is Reuse in action.

Achieving a circular waste economy will require action on many levels and will mean we must transition to using only renewable materials and energy sources. A zero-waste way of life will mean adopting new habits… and recycling is just one part of a much more comprehensive waste minimisation process. When looking at the zero-waste hierarchy, recycling actually sits pretty low on the list!

A lot of our textiles and clothing garments are unfortunately entirely or at least partly made from synthetic materials, including Polyester, Viscose, Nylon, Elastane, Polyester (Polar) Fleece + many trademarked textiles. Teeny microfibres from these materials are shed during each laundry cycle and are washed away with our machine’s wastewater - ending up in essentially every part of our ecosystem. Our water, our air, our soil, our produce and our whānau! These fibres can be extremely detrimental to our natural world. Once in our environment, the tiny microplastics irreversibly degrade into smaller and smaller particles and are impossible to retrieve.

Understanding what can be recycled can be a bit tricky, especially as it varies from region to region. If you are struggling, you may find it helpful to search up your local council website and do a little digging. If that sounds too hard, you’ve come to the right place.

Most Res.Awesome followers can agree that Aotearoa is in need of a more capable waste infrastructure system. Some of you may not know that we are moving towards a nationally standardised recycling system. Until then, maybe it is a good idea to come to grips with what can be recycled in your region; as at the moment, there are some regional discrepancies.

Composting - Why is it such a big deal?

Composting is important for many reasons!

Climate action

Soil resiliency

Carbon sequestration

Kai!

The Government recently consulted on "transforming recycling". One of the primary outcomes is getting food waste out of our general household rubbish, as it is super important to divert organic waste from landfills. Food waste is composed of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen along with some other elements. When food waste ends up in landfills - it is buried. Here, microorganisms begin to break it down during a process known as anaerobic digestion; a kind of digestion that does not require oxygen. As a byproduct of this process, greenhouse gases (methane, carbon dioxide) are produced. If these gases are not captured they are released into the atmosphere. This is bad news!

Our society is ready for change. This one is for you coffee slingers!

When it comes to making a positive change for our local communities and our wider world, the good news is it is easier than ever to do your bit as a coffee retailer! Alternatives to the dreaded takeaway cup do exist. Thankfully the use of ‘keep cups’ has increased massively. If you own, manage or work in a coffee dispensary here are a few suggestions to get you started.

Talk it through with your staff

Their engagement is key. Talk together about how you all feel and reassure them that they will be supported moving forward.

Line up your alternatives

This is key. It’s like parenting (as is much of hospo right?)! It is always best to anticipate the objections you may face and line up solutions before they come up. Do your research on how to transition away from throwaway culture to ensure the switch is smooth sailing. That could look like a mug library, a reuse system or giving your keep cup users a bonus for getting on board.

Engage with your customers

Talk to your locals and regulars. Use your social media (if you have it) and posters to prepare your customers. There are free downloads on the UYO website via the ‘SIGNS CAMPAIGNS GUIDES’ button that you are welcome to take, edit or use as inspiration.

Talk it through with your coffee supplier

Coffee roasters are happy not to have their branding on single-use rubbish as they clog up rubbish bins or are littered on the street. Run your ideas past them. Some are more progressive than others and may have ways to support you in regard to supplying reusables for retailing or to loan you cups as you move forward. And the next time you order single-use cups (it won’t be forever right?) request that they are plain, unbranded. This will remove the temptation to your staff, and your customers, to promote throwaway culture on social media.

Takeaway or disposable cups are gradually being eliminated from hospitality vendors around the country, as the use of ‘keep cup’s has increased massively. Good on you Kiwi’s! Most of us know by now that takeaway cups and service-ware are not doing us or our world any favours, but lets break this issue down a little further. When it comes to takeaway cups, what are they really made from and what keeps the coffee inside? All disposable coffee cups have something more than paper present in their design. There are many reasons we encourage consumers to put down the paper cups in favour of the keep variety and we would like to share some right here.

An easy to use 10-step guide to minimise waste in your workplace, and make positive steps towards Zero Waste in your office and personal life.

The team at Res.Awesome are proud to announce the release of our easy to use waste reduction guide for your workplace. We created this to help you minimise waste in your place of work and make positive steps towards zero-waste in your life. The guide is available for purchase on our website and is packed full of information on how to keep your office (whatever that may look like) as sustainable as possible.

Earth Overshoot Day marks the date when humanity’s demand for ecological resources and services in a given year exceeds what Earth can regenerate in that year. In 2022, New Zealands Earth Overshoot Day lands on April 19th. We maintain this deficit by liquidating stocks of ecological resources and accumulating waste, primarily carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Earth Overshoot Day is hosted and calculated by Global Footprint Network, an international research organization that provides decision-makers with a menu of tools to help the human economy operate within Earth’s ecological limits.

As of April 19th in Aotearoa we have literally used up this years resources and are now borrowing from the future to live for the next 8 months. When we speak of leaving our future generations something to live on the way we act does not follow through with that kōrero.

“The fundamental principle of circular systems thinking is that everything is interconnected”

Dr Leila Acaroglu Disruptive Design Method

Managing to prepare your whole household for the day with a nutritious and zero-waste lunch before you’ve even had your first cup of coffee can be a true mission. Muesli bars and sandwiches are flying across the kitchen in great haste to make it into those lunch boxes before hitting the road for the day. A successful morning is when you manage to leave the house with every member of your tribe fed, clean and prepped! The team at Res.Awesome is here to help!

Product stewardship is about the right people taking responsibility for the products we see available on the market and hopefully engaging in a bit of future-proofing for forthcoming generations. It involves redesigning the product supply chain to ensure we are not doing unnecessary and preventable damage. Product stewardship is regulated in order to increase circular resource use and shift the responsibility for managing products onto the producers, importers and retailers; this involves taking responsibility for the items when they have come to the end of their life-span and thinking about the potential impacts these products have on our communities and Papatuanuku.

The school holidays are fast approaching and Res.Awesome is here to help! During this time we understand many parents will be frantically trying to compile a list of fun, budget-friendly activities to keep the kiddies entertained. With the weather beginning to look decidedly more Wintery, having a handy list of indoor projects is imperative to ensure everyone is happy. Get creative with reusability and see what amazing ideas your kids come up with when it comes to fashioning new toys, games or art. Set up a crafternoon with some regular recyclable household items; bottle tops, cardboard boxes/cylinders, egg cartons, plastic bottles. Watch your kids unleash their creativity!

The fast-paced nature of modern life often means we find ourselves participating in a ‘throwaway culture’ in which our food packaging and service-ware are designed to be disposable. Takeaway containers, plastic bottles, glass bottles, plastic bags, boxes, condiment packets, plastic cutlery, coffee cups, lids and napkins are a massive part of the hospitality supply chain. Much of this avoidable waste is generated at large community events; local food stalls and food trucks often rely on disposable service-ware to provide their goods and services. The great news is the Res.Awesome team know the perfect solution for diverting unnecessary waste from landfills. Wash Stations are one component of initiating an alternative, reuse economy.

It's important to know where our waste is coming from so that we can make moves towards zero waste alternatives; within our budget of course, and one step at a time! Many households can agree that their waste problem is getting a little out of hand, but simply do not know where to start when it comes to tackling their trash. Without a good idea of what our waste is really made up of or the habits that contributed to its sheer size (and stench!)- it is hard to engage in the correct management of our waste. We totally understand why many people struggle to know where to start - which is why the team at Res.Awesome are here to help!

Recycling plastic can be a confusing task for many people. Our current system relies on numbers to identify different plastics so we can recycle our materials accordingly. This blog post will be dedicated to breaking down what those pesky numbers mean and how we can utilise them to dispose of our waste responsibly.

As all of our Res.Awesome followers will have gathered by now…. Plastic is terrible for the environment and we are straight up not a fan! Most plastic has a very short lifespan, especially the stuff we use to wrap up and preserve our food. Around 32% of the plastic we use in Aotearoa ends up in our natural environment; damaging and polluting our Papatuanuku. We are here to share with you a positive and hopeful solution to some of our plastic kitchen waste; Beeswax wraps!

Coca Cola is one of the biggest companies in the world and was the world’s worst plastic polluter for the fourth year in a row in 2021. This was confirmed by Break Free From Plastic’s annual report 2021. Coca Cola produces over 120 billion plastic bottles every year with many of these harmful products ending up in our oceans and polluting waterways, our ecosystems, our kai and our people. Our Res.Awesome followers know we are amidst a global plastic crisis. Microplastic and plastic waste has become inescapable - with more plastic still being produced.. The Coca-Cola Company have announced they will aim to make 25% of their global packaging reusable by 2030.

Let us introduce you to the Kiwi Bottle Drive; an initiative designed with the aim to educate the public AND our politicians on the many benefits of a comprehensive Container Return Scheme. The Kiwi Bottle Drive is New Zealand’s campaign for bottle deposits. They have been working alongside communities, councils and organisations for over 20 years to get a bottle deposit scheme and start building a zero waste society.

Many of us don’t think twice about dipping into our local coffee shop to grab a cup of Jo on our way to work or grabbing a pre-made smoothie from the supermarket when our mornings become a little too hectic to make ourselves a proper breakfast. While many of us consider ourselves lucky to have such convenient options, the fast and casual nature of takeaway dining habits are not holding up so well on the sustainability front. The fast-paced nature of modern life often means we find ourselves participating in a ‘throwaway culture’ in which our food packaging and service-ware are designed to be disposable.

While the team at Res.Awesome has a long list of goals to achieve that will benefit our community, the main objective involves seeing Dunedin become a Zero Waste city. To achieve this goal, we must have a clear idea of what we are working towards. It’s all well and good knowing that the current system isn’t working and needs to be ditched; but what the heck do we replace it with? Res.Awesome are here to share our vision of a beautiful Zero Waste Otepoti!

It is time to shine a spotlight on one of our favourite change agents in New Zealand, Laura Cope from UYO (Use Your Own) and Takeaway Throwaways! This badass, environmental pro-activist, waste crusader has been making waves around the country with her volunteer-based Use Your Own cup initiative. UYO is a not for profit enterprise that encourages people to steer clear of single-use cups with positive messaging and a nationwide presence. UYO has a very accessible online cafe guide which has various options for finding the right cafe for you.

The team at Res.Awesome is excited to announce our upcoming event, The Waste Warrior Workshop which will be held on February 16th. This workshop is specifically designed to encourage behaviour change - which is the key component in reducing Aotearoa’s waste flow. Knowing what can be recycled and how is the first step in ensuring we are recycling responsibly. In this workshop we cover a wide variety of topics. We will learn about where our products come from and the materials used to make them. We will cover where our waste goes and explore the whole system; from the extraction of resources, to disposal.

The global population has recently turned its collective attention to the imminent threat of global warming and the dire effects it will have on our flora, fauna and iwi. It is no wonder most businesses are concerned about maintaining a clean, green image. To turn a blind eye to the damage being done to our world, would seem callous and uncaring - which would not be good for business!

The team at Res.Awesome would like to draw our followers’ attention to a retailer in New Zealand making great strides towards a circular waste system. Mitre 10 have launched a new initiative designed to keep plant pots out of our landfills. Mitre 10’s Pot Recycle is a practical closed-loop solution designed to stop plant and seedling pots ending up in landfills. This scheme has rolled out nationwide for your convenience! New Zealand has seen many kiwi’s fall back in love with gardening, partly due to lockdowns and more people working from home. We are stoked to see more kiwi’s spending time with their hands in the dirt; getting back to nature.

Forking over our hard-earned cash for new household appliances is something that can quite easily send some of us into a tailspin. Perusing the aisles of Briscoes comparing warranty offers and sniffing out good deals is all part of the routine. We do everything we can to avoid wasting our dollars on an item that may not stand the test of time.

Unfortunately, replacing faulty or worn-out appliances and technology is something we have grown rather used to. The good old days of buying products built to test the tale of time are long over, with “lifetime guarantees” reserved for $450 pairs of boots or rare scores found in the dead of night after hours of scrolling through web forums.

When it comes to Recycling, us kiwi’s would love to think we are upholding the clean, green identity Aotearoa is so famed for. Unfortunately, the results of a recent Consumer NZ led assessment revealed that New Zealand is pretty low on the environmental leader board. Brazil and New Zealand proved to be the worst countries for practical recycling rates; we don’t have the means to recycle around 57% of our packaging and Brazil is unable to process 92% of its recycling. The countries with the best recycling rates were Hong Kong, closely followed by Portugal.

We are very excited to announce that Res.Awesome has partnered up with the amazing organisation Para Kore! The Para Kore programme works to promote zero-waste, closed-loop living and hopes to see Aotearoa transition to a circular waste economy. Para Kore is about honouring Papatūānuku, our natural land. Papatūānuku is a powerful force that gives life to all things and provides us with everything we could possibly need; physically and spiritually. Mother nature gives birth to all life and eventually, all life cycles fall back to the land. This is why we must treat her with gratitude and respect.

When it comes to living a zero waste or simply, sustainable life there are many things that appear to get in the way of our mission. There are also many factors that seem to help us on our journey. The team at Res.Awesome would like to take this opportunity to explore some barriers that hinder our progress and on the flipside, some motivators that fuel our momentum.