Kickstart your garden – and save the planet - with a compost subsidy this spring

November is Kickstart Compost month – a great time to get set up for composting for the first time, or increase your compost capacity by buying another bin or bokashi bucket.

For the month of November Council’s compost subsidy goes up to $30 (conditions apply) so this is a great time to head down to one of our participating retailers and save big on composting. You can use your subsidy towards a compost bin, a bokashi bin or a worm farm.

If you compost your food waste you’ll save in other ways as well. You’ll add less rubbish to landfill so you’ll save on buying approved rubbish bags or on bin rental. 

You’ll have a healthier richer garden that will need less water, fertiliser or bought compost. And you’ll get more and better veggies (more money saving!) flowers and fruit trees. 

You’ll also be saving the planet as food waste going into landfill is a source of methane which is a greenhouse gas. 
The graphic below shows the difference between composting (where food waste breaks down with air, and produces carbon rich mulch) and sending it to landfill (where it is compacted and breaks down without air, producing methane).

As part of Kickstart Compost Month we’re also running some free composting workshops, so if you need a hand to get started, go along to one of these great events:

Bunnings Warehouse, 76 Saxton Road West, Stoke –
Thursday 28 November – 11-12 noon

Mitre10 Mega, 99 Quarantine Road, Annesbrook
Wednesday 6 November 6pm-8pm and Saturday 23 November 1pm-3pm

Tim’s Garden, 26 Gloucester Street, Nelson
Saturday 9 November 1pm-3pm

So it’s a no brainer really – Kickstart your garden, and save money and the planet, this spring.

Go to nelson.govt.nz/compost to find out more about how to compost – there’s even a great how-to-video for new composters.