Throwing your scraps in a compost bin saves your wallet and the world

The Earthworms Club gardens are located opposite 103 Tasman St. Photo / @earthworms_wlg 

Council rubbish bags are spoiling your paycheck, but perhaps composting your two-minute noodles could save you money. 

As food scraps make up around one third of household waste, throwing your leftovers in the compost means saving hundreds on council rubbish bags. 

“The cheapest and easiest way to do it is just a regular old cold compost bin. You can get a 240 litre one from Bunnings for $46 and that’s heaps of room for a four-person household,” said David McCarthy, Massey’s Earthworms Club garden manager. 

New Zealand was ranked the 9th worst country in the 2022 Global Waste Index, behind Australia and even the US. Embarrassing.  

Officially founded in 2021, the Earthworms Club operates three compost bins across the Wellington campus and encourages people to compost themselves. 

Government had pledged to add food scrap collection for all urban areas by 2030, but Massey’s Earthworms Club wasn’t waiting around. 

McCarthy, an environmental student, said it's important to place your bin on bare soil and add brown compost like woodchips, leaves or shredded cardboard. 
 
“It’s like when a forest is breaking down, that’s what we’re trying to recreate. So, you have wood and stuff, it’s not just fruit and vegetables.” 
 
Maria Williams, Earthworms Club coordinator, acknowledged setting up a bin isn’t always possible for students living in halls or apartments. 

Williams encouraged students to compost in other community ways, like the ShareWaste NZ app.  

The ShareWaste NZ app connects those who want organic waste with those who want to get rid of it.  

You can register as a donor to view nearby community gardens or individual compost hosts and arrange a time to drop off your scraps - completely free of charge. 

Food scraps make up 22% of NZ’s landfill emissions as they produce methane when they rot anaerobically among waste.  

But when food scraps are composted, they decompose aerobically. 

Last year ShareWaste NZ was reported to have nearly 10,000 members spread across the entire country. 

Williams said the Earthworms Club was working on expanding its composting capacity and eventually wants to have more collection tubs around campus, like in student lounges. 

The club also acquired its own gardening space near campus this year and is building garden beds in preparation for the summer planting period. 

People can join the Earthworms Club by contacting earthworms.compost@gmail.com or messaging them on Instagram @earthworms_wlg.