Abstract:
Auckland Council has a vision ‘to become the most liveable city in the world’ and to achieve this, the Council has a long-term, aspirational goal of Zero Waste by 2040 (WMMP, 2012). There are a number of key actions and methods that Auckland Council propose in their Waste Management and Minimisation Plan, but the area of focus for this research is around the kerbside collection of organic waste. This initiative is expected to account for one of the largest waste reductions, as approximately 50 per cent (by weight) of the contents of kerbside bins and bags are organic materials (WMMP, 2012). A bin study involving various bin types and organic waste packaging strategies has been carried out over a 3 month period to determine the most acceptable food waste packaging, a bin that reduces odour emissions and the optimum frequency of collection. The packaging type that released the smallest odour concentration was Newspaper, which released on average 11 ppm and was the most acceptable to a volunteer olfactometry panel. While 70 cm2 venting bin type released on average 7 ppm of odour and was the most acceptable bin type. Moreover, a weekly collection of food waste would benefit householders, for on average week 1 was the most favoured by the olfactometry panel and released 21 ppm of odour.