{"id":49247,"date":"2021-09-02T08:43:37","date_gmt":"2021-09-01T20:43:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/aotearoa\/?p=49247"},"modified":"2024-07-11T14:12:24","modified_gmt":"2024-07-11T02:12:24","slug":"how-food-waste-can-help-bring-about-a-healthy-farming-future","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/aotearoa\/publication\/how-food-waste-can-help-bring-about-a-healthy-farming-future\/","title":{"rendered":"How food waste can help bring about a healthy farming future"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A new report by Greenpeace and The Rubbish Trip details how food and organic waste can be converted to high-quality compost to fuel a shift to regenerative farming.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n

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All Kiwis have an appetite for locally grown food that\u2019s healthy and grown ethically to protect our land, water and communities from harm.
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A report released by Greenpeace and The Rubbish Trip<\/a> shows expanding New Zealand\u2019s organic waste collection infrastructure and composting could be the solution we need to eliminate the need for harmful chemicals in our food growing soils.<\/p>\n\n

Synthetic nitrogen fertilisers used in intensive dairying cause long term damage to productive land and poison our waterways but currently farmers nationwide have few options to eradicate its use and transition to cleaner solutions.<\/p>\n\n

The report titled Expanding Organic Waste Collections and Composting<\/a> explains how Aotearoa can collectively help farmers grow good food that doesn\u2019t harm the land, river or climate by replacing toxic chemical fertilisers with existing food waste we all create on a daily basis.<\/p>\n\n

Many farmers across the country want to do the right thing, and are moving away from intensive dairying towards regenerative and organic methods.<\/p>\n\n

By converting everyday household waste into good quality compost we can provide farmers with an alternative to enrich the soil they need to grow great food.<\/p>\n\n

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The report recommends a network of small and medium-scale composting sites, where organic waste is composted as locally as possible. The potential for positive social and environmental outcomes is huge: from developing local green jobs, providing opportunities to grow urban farms and local food resilience, to creating high-quality compost that restores soil health and locks away carbon.<\/p>\n\n

\u201cCapturing and utilising organic waste is one vital way to reduce emissions and pollution, and move towards a zero waste, circular economy,\u201d says Liam Prince, co-founder of zero waste organisation The Rubbish Trip<\/a> and author of the report.<\/p>\n\n

Key recommendations from the report:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n