Sustainable packaging for festival goers
An Auckland-based sustainable packaging company is teaming up with Christchurch City Council for a major environmental initiative.
Ecoware was chosen by the council as its partner in a trial of compostable packaging for three major events: the Night Noodle Markets, Sparks and the Lantern Festival.
All food vendors at the events must use compostable packaging, which has been preapproved by a local composting facility.
The goal was to divert more than 80 per cent of the waste from landfill to a local composting facility.
Ecoware founders James Calver
We hope to showcase to the country that waste from events should no longer be sent to landfill.
and Alex Magaraggia, started their company six years ago with the vision of creating ‘‘packaging with principles’’.
Working with a city council on an environmental initiative was a big step towards that vision.
The company went through an extensive selection process, where the council tested products from different packaging companies and after six months, chose Ecoware as its partner.
Magaraggia said one of Ecoware’s main goals was to divert waste from landfill where possible and so he hoped the trial would be a success.
‘‘With this partnership with Christchurch City Council, we hope to showcase to the country that waste from events should no longer be sent to landfill.’’
Calver said if the trial was successful, they would love to see other major cities like Auckland and Wellington get involved.
He said there was no reason New Zealand’s other cities could not follow the same model as Christchurch.
Beyond the Bin director Kim Renshaw, welcomed the initiative.
‘‘I feel like the days of landfillonly food packaging are numbered.’’