Green and Food Waste

Information regarding how we deal with Green and Food Waste in the district.

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Green Waste

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Food Waste

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Sending organic waste (like food and garden material) to landfills is bad for the environment, as it creates greenhouse gases that exacerbate climate change, while taking up lots of space. 

Right now, in Queenstown Lakes District and neighbouring districts, there isn’t a facility to process this kind of waste. That means we can’t start collecting food and certain garden waste yet because there’s nowhere to take it. Once we have access to a proper facility, QLDC will start picking up food and/or garden waste from households.  

Until then, we want to encourage folks to compost at home, turning food scraps and garden waste into nutrient-rich soil. QLDC offers discounts on composting tools like bokashi bins and worm farms, and fund workshops on how to use them. See Food Waste below for more info. 

When it comes to green waste (like garden stuff), we can't accept everything at the transfer stations due to current processing limitations. Here’s why: 

  • Stringy plants like cabbage trees and flaxes can tangle up and break the machines that turn waste into mulch. 

  • Weeds or plants with seeds could spread and affect the quality of mulch. 

  • Grass clippings and leaves often contain harmful herbicides and break down too fast. 

  • Wood or timber often contains chemicals, so it can’t be used either. 

Until we have access to an organics processing facility, we encourage the community to continue their efforts to reduce waste and compost at home when possible.

Green Waste

  • What's accepted: 

    Hedge trimmings and tree branches up to 400mm in diameter and small tree stumps. This waste is then chipped and reused in the district on parks and reserves.

    Cost: click here.

    What's not accepted?

    Broom, gorse, flax, cabbage trees, grasses (including lawn clippings), leaves, weeds, sawdust, timber off-cuts, crates, wood packaging or gib board

    These items will be charged as rubbish and disposed of at the landfill.  

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  • What's accepted: 

    Hedge trimmings and tree branches up to 400mm in diameter and small tree stumps. This waste is then chipped and reused in the district on parks and reserves.

    Cost: click here.

    What's not accepted?

    Broom, gorse, flax, cabbage trees, grasses (including lawn clippings), leaves, weeds, sawdust, timber off-cuts, crates, wood packaging or gib board

    These items will be charged as rubbish and disposed of at the landfill.  

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  • Wanaka Greenwaste and Landscaping Supplies  is privately owned and operated and takes all manner of greenwaste, from tree and hedge clippings to weeds and general garden waste.

    Please keep all cabbage tree, flax and grass clippings separated.

    Location: Ballantyne Road
    Hours: Monday - Sunday 10.00am - 3.00pm
    Contact: 027 476 6034

    Also available onsite: Mulch, compost, bark and most landscaping supplies. Courtesy trailer available.

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  • Glenorchy, Kingston, Lake Hawea, Luggate and Makarora all have community run greenwaste facilities. 

    For more information please contact your local community association. Details can be found here.

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Food Waste

  • Compost your unavoidable food scraps and green waste back into a reusable resources that will replenish your soil.

    We fund the Dr Compost programme to help get you started. Local composting guru, Dr Compost, can help you discover which system could work best for you or help fine-tune your existing composting system. 

    You can get free advice from Dr Compost at events, workshops, or on Facebook. For more information visit the Dr Compost Facebook page or download the online resources here. You can also email your questions to:

    drcompost@wanakawastebusters.co.nz

    Subsidised Bokashi Bins

    Subsidised Bokashi Bins can be purchased at Council offices or Wanaka Wastebusters.  

    They can be purchased as a single unit or in sets of two at cost price (maximum of four buckets per person/business).

    Single unit price - $28 inclusive of GST
    Set of two price - $56 inclusive of GST (normally $112.00)
    (Each bucket receives a free bag of compost zing as part of the cost).

    Bags of compost zing can also be purchased at cost price of $6.00 per bag inclusive of GST.

    Please note that the subsidised price only applies to Queenstown Lakes residents and you will be required to provide contact details/proof of address on purchase.

    Subsidised Worms

    If you're keen to try worm farming, we subsidise the purchase of worms.   

    • $30 for 1kg / approximately 4,000 worms (normally $55).

    There is a $10.00 courier charge (extra for rural delivery).

    To purchase the worms get in touch with Jacqui at Central Wormworx (2024) Ltd, Cromwell.

    Phone 021 132 2964 or email:
    wormworx1@gmail.com 

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  • New Zealand families waste about $644 each year on food which is thrown uneaten into the rubbish bin.This adds up to a staggering $1.17 billion for the whole country.

    That’s 157,398 tonnes of edible food going to landfill and generating greenhouse gases.

    We're proud to be part of the national Love Food Hate Waste NZ campaign which aims to turn this around, by inspiring and enabling people to waste less food.

    For practical tips on how to reduce your own food waste and save money visit the Love Food Haste Waste website.

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Related Content

Transfer Stations

Home composting and worm farms