So why is it good to compost?
Many of our soils worldwide are very depleted and need the nutrients put back into them. Many of the minerals needed in the soils can be found all around us in things like seaweed, animal manure, comfrey leaves, fish bones and the list goes on! For that reason, composting is a relatively low cost way to make a decent dent in our emissions reduction, and a fantastic way for households to play their part in making our soils healthy.
When food scraps end up in landfill, we lose a valuable resource. As they break down, they release methane, a potent greenhouse gas. Composting those scraps, alongside carbon-rich materials like paper, sawdust, dried leaves, and mulch, turns waste into something useful: nourishing soil for growing food, while helping to cut down emissions.
What you can do to start composting?
Register for one of our compost workshops
Keen to get your hands dirty at home? We run free compost workshops a few times a year, where you can learn about composting, worm farming and bokashi. It is a brilliant way to get started, or to learn and troubleshoot if you are already composting at home. Register your interest here!
Next Workshops –
- Mangawhai Compost Workshop | Book here
9th May 2026 | 9–10.30am | KOHA | Venue: MANGAWHAI COMMUNITY GARDENS, THE DOMAIN
- Compost Workshop & Introduction to the Maungaturoto Edible Village Project Book here
Sunday 27th September, 2–4pm | Followed by shared kai
We will look at:
The basics of composting, Worm farming, Bokashi and how to DIY your own compost.
Spaces are limited, so be sure to secure your spot early.
Join our educator this compost week!
We will be supporting our local Kaipara tamariki with some displays (including a mini compost!) and information at both Mangwhai and Dargaville libraries during international compost week. Kerryn, our waste wise educator will be delivering sessions for preschool-aged children on Monday (Dargaville) and Tuesday (Mangawhai). Pop in, look at the display and see if you can learn something new about the magical world of compost!
- Dargaville library 12-2pm on Monday 4th May
- Mangawhai library 10.30-12 on Tuesday 5th May
- Aimed at ages 3-6
Join our kerbside collection service
If you live in Mangawhai, you can join our collection service. It is a great way to compost if you have little time or space to do so yourself during the week, plus it is supporting a wonderful community run initiative and our local community gardens. Learn more and Sign up for the service here!
Attend our Food Forest film night
Join us for an inspiring evening on Tuesday 19th May for two short films followed by a community discussion exploring food forests and growing your own kai. Share ideas, and connect with others interested in creating abundant, food-producing spaces , how we can create resilience in our own backyards and our communities. This is not just about gardening or permaculture. It’s about local food security in an unstable world. Also hear about the Maungaturoto Edible Village Project, a local initiative growing shared edible spaces and strengthening community food security.
Browse our resources to help you on your way
We have put together some resources for you to download to help get you started. Check them out here!
May your compost journey begin!
Our dream is to see the whole of Kaipara diverting food scraps from landfill and composting it instead – and we are working toward that goal!
We look forward to seeing how you progress with composting – do let us know how you are getting on! If you have any questions – contact our resident compost queen – steph@sustainablekaipara.org.
About our Compost journey
- Diverted food waste from landfill, and created nutrient rich, healthy compost. With our small Mangawhai based kerbside collection service, we have now been composting food scraps for an average of 50 households plus some local businesses – for 5 years – and the resulting wins are amazing. We have diverted around 60 tonne of compostable material since we started.
- Created local jobs to collect and keep the compost running
- Grown a community of amazing volunteers to help with our compost
- Educated hundreds of locals around the importance of composting and reducing food waste
- Supplied compost to our local Mangawhai Community Garden
- Supported local schools accross Kaipara in waste minimisation and helped them set up compost bins and worm farms.
