ECO

MADE
easy
YOUR NO-FRILLS GUIDE TO SUSTAINABLE
STUDENT LIVING IN WELLINGTON

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 WHAT’S THE BIG DEAL?
New Zealanders generate a lot of waste. In fact, we bury 2.5 million
tonnes of waste in landfills every year.

As time goes by and more and more rubbish piles up, toxic waste and
greenhouse gases are released from the landfills into our land, waterways
and air. Lots of these greenhouse gases are produced when organic material
such as food scraps and green waste break down in a landfill environment
where there is little oxygen. The impact of these gases on global warming is
massive.

Landfills seem to be a cost effective way to deal with our waste.

However, the real cost of burying so much waste will be seen and felt
down the line. Not only does our waste fill up landfills and contribute to
global warming, it also pollutes our waterways, harms our animals and can
impact our health.

Three quarters of New Zealand’s landfill waste could have been reused, re-
cycled or composted. This zine is here to teach you a few ways to cut down
on your personal waste, make cheap, easy swaps and become more waste
conscious.

Keep this book with you as you move from flat to flat, rip out pages and stick
them above your composting/recycling bins and share the knowledge! If you do
decide to part ways, please remove the staples and either recycle or compost the
paper. Kia kaha, aroha nui. Seaview Recycling Centre

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 RECYCLING
Recycling is converting waste materials into new materials and objects. Recycling reduces air pollution,
water pollution and the usage of raw materials/energy. In Wellington, glass is collected in green crates
and other recyclables are collected in either wheelie bins or green plastic bags. These are collected
on alternate weeks on different days depending on your suburb. Check this by searching ‘rubbish and
recycling collection’ on the Wellington City Council website and entering your street name. Some uni
halls are better than others at recycling. If you’re in a hall that doesn’t have recycling, ask why and let
the management staff know that you want this to change.
MIXED MATERIAL OBJECTS
Things made from a mixture of materials (paper, plastic, aluminium etc) fused
together can’t be recycled as our recycling plants can’t split them back into
their raw materials. This means that they end up in landfill. This includes plastic
lined paper objects (food containers and coffee cups), Tetra Pak cartons (milk
and juice boxes), and foil-backed coffee/biscuit bags. Think twice before buying
these things, and see if there is an alternative with recyclable, or no packaging.
SOFT PLASTIC
Soft plastics used to be collected at supermarkets across the country. This
scheme diverted 7% of NZ’s soft plastics from landfill but has since stopped
as they have too much plastic stockpiled and can’t keep up with our level of
consumption. Though they may start collecting again, the best solution is for us
to reduce how much we use.
DIRTY/CONTAMINATED WASTE
A clean or slightly greasy pizza box is recyclable but one with food still inside
will cause issues in the system. Clean all recycling to ensure that it can be
processed properly and won’t cause the entire bag/collection truck of recycling
to be sent straight to landfill.. Currently, 2% of NZ’s recycling collection has to
be thrown away due to it being unclean and presenting a risk of contamination.
UNKNOWN
Stop wish cycling- if you are unsure about whether or not something can be re-
cycled, a quick look on the Wellington City Council website should let you know.
If you’re still unsure, it’s better to put it in the rubbish bin to reduce risk of
contamination. If something that can’t be recycled makes it into the recycling
stream, this can jam the systems and cause heaps of extra problems.
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PLASTIC
In order for a plastic item to be recycled in Wellington it needs to have a
recycling symbol and number (1-7) and be clean. Numbers on plastic items show
what kind of plastic they’re composed of. Number 1 (clear plastic often used for
water bottles) is the most sustainable plastic as it doesn’t lose clarity/quality
when recycled. However in order to be food safe for commercial use again, this
recycled plastic must be coated in a layer of virgin plastic. The rest (numbers 2-7)
are mostly sent overseas to be recycled. These plastics lose quality every time
they are recycled, and soon can’t be recycled and have to be sent to the landfill.
If your plastic item doesn’t have a number (including bio or organic plastic), don’t
recycle it as it can’t be sorted and will contaminate/slow down the system.
ALUMINIUM
Aluminium is a high value material and Wellington’s collection is sent overseas to
be recycled. Wash your tins and cans before putting into your collection bin, but
don’t worry about removing paper labels. Aluminium foil is not recyclable.
GLASS
Glass is an infinitely recyclable material as it doesn’t lose quality or clarity each
time it is recycled. Wellington’s glass recycling is sent to Auckland to be melted
down and turned into bottles and jars. Clean your glass and remove lids before
putting out. No broken glass, lightbulbs, mirrors or window/ornamental glass is
recyclable.
PAPER & CARDBOARD
Every time paper/cardboard is recycled it loses quality and eventually ends up
being recycled into pulpy objects like egg cartons. (which are still accepted in
Wellington’s recycling.) While paper is a lot better to use than plastic, it is still
important to try to minimise the amount you use as it requires a lot of energy to
create. Wax, foil and plastic backed paper cannot be recycled.
E-WASTE
When electric waste breaks down in a landfill it releases nasty chemicals and in-
creases toxicity. E-waste can’t be put into our regular recycling bins, but there are
collection points at the Southern Landfill and at the Sustainability Trust in the
city centre. These are the best places to discard of your old electronics (phones,
computers, cables etc.)
 COMPOSTING COMPOST
- fruit and vegetable scraps
- eggshells
- leaves, small twigs, straw, hay (no weeds)
- cooked pasta/rice
A third to a half of all waste sent to Wellington landfills is organic material such as food scraps and paper.
You might think that these things will just break down in a landfill, but when they are put into this closed - bread, crackers, pasta, chips, cereal
environment with no air, light, moisture or bugs they can’t decompose, and instead create highly toxic chemicals - nuts, beans, lentils
such as leachate and methane. These chemicals eventually make their way into the ground/air, polluting our entire - stale seeds and fruit pips (chopped up so that
ecosystem and contributing to global warming. they can’t sprout in the compost bin)
- old herbs and spices
Composting is also important as our planet has finite resources which we are running out of. This includes soil, - coffee grounds and tea leaves (remove all
which is running out mainly as a result of erosion from the unsustainable agriculture industry. If we want to keep synthetic bags and staples)
eating healthy and nutritious food, compost is a must.
- plain and uncoated paper, newspaper,
cardboard (torn up)
All of the organic waste and resulting pollution can be avoided by composting at home. Composting is a form of
waste disposal where organic waste decomposes naturally under oxygen-rich conditions. Composting can seem like - herbivore poop (horse, cow, rabbit, sheep,
a lot of work but it can be incredibly low maintenance if you follow these easy steps and guidelines. chicken)

1. Get a compost bin. 2. Chuck in your organic waste. 3. Mix it up regularly.

The most basic bins are super Chop up your waste for quicker .This aerates the compost, distrib-
simple and affordable, especially decomposition and check out the utes built up heat and drains ex-
when split between all of the next page on what can/can’t be put cess moisture. You should mix your
flatmates. For a little more money in your bin. Composting bins love compost once every few weeks.
you can get ones with built in having a mixture of nitrogen-rich After 2-5 months of doing this
turning barrels, which aren’t green (fruit and veg scraps / (depending on the time of year)
necessary but may make it a little lawn clippings / eggshells / coffee you will have nutrient-rich dark DON’T COMPOST
easier for you. All bin options and grounds) and carbon-rich brown brown / black crumbly compost!
extra information can be found at (newspaper / cardboard / twigs / Spread it around your garden - meat, fish, dairy and eggs as they cause
The Sustainability Trust in the city dry fallen leaves) material. Try to knowing that you’ve stopped bins odour and attracts pests
and at hardware stores. have around 1/3-1/2 of your com- upon bins of organic waste going
- alcohol
posting made from these brown to the landfill.
things for the healthiest compost.
- oil
- carnivore poop (dog, cat, human) as
home composts don’t get hot enough to
kill pathogens and they may make you sick
- glossy/coated paper
- ‘biodegradable’ or ‘commercially com-
postable’ packaging. Plain, pure cardboard/
paper is fine but anything coated or lined
If you’re in a flat with no outdoor area you still have heaps of composting options! Look into having a small
like coffee cups cannot be home
worm farm under the sink or using a Bokashi system. Chat to neighbours who may be willing to compost your
scraps, look up community gardens near you and check out www.sharewaste.org.nz/ to see if there’s someone composted as home composts don’t reach
near you who would take and compost your waste. If you don’t have the time or space for these, Kaicycle is a a high enough temperature to break this
service where your compost is collected each week ($30/month subscription fee) and turned into compost for down
your local community.
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 Southern Landfill (Happy Valley, Wellington)
This is where all of our Wellington waste is sent to be
buried. The entire site has only 100 years left before it will
have reached capacity. It’s unsure what will happen after this,
but the goal is to reduce our waste and improve recycling so
much so that we will not have to find another landfill site
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DIET
The meat & dairy industry emits more greenhouse gases into the environment
from livestock and fertilizers than all of the worlds cars, trucks, and airplanes put
together. It also uses 30% of the earth’s water, is responsible for pollution, uses up
the majority of worldwide farmland and is the leading cause of species extinction,
rainforest eradication and ocean dead zones. Despite all of this, products made
using animal agriculture only account for 18% of all food calories and one third of
the protein consumed by people worldwide.
Huge reductions in meat/dairy eating are required if the world is to slow down
climate change, with beef consumption in western countries needing to drop by
90% and be replaced with five times more beans and pulses.
Contrary to popular belief, consuming meat and dairy isn’t necessary for a healthy
diet. While it can take a while to adjust, cutting down or completely cutting out
these things from your diet can be extremely beneficial for your health and the
health of the planet, not to mention your wallet.
You can start by cutting down with something as simple as meat-free Monday, or
consuming meat only once a week, a month, or on special occasions - whatever
works for you.
Consider replacing meat with other proteins such as beans, lentils, nuts & seeds,
and replacing cow’s milk with plant based milks (coconut milk is our favourite
alternative as it comes in a recyclable aluminium tin can rather than a non-
recyclable tetra-pak carton). You will save money, feel great
and the earth will thank you.
If you’re worried about nutrient deficiencies, you can take
a blood test occasionally to
make sure you’re getting
everything you need.
Surprisingly one of the few
things you may need to take
supplements for is B12 - which
omnivores are also commonly
deficient in.
 clothes
Fast fashion is a term to describe the cheap, new
clothing made by big retail brands. These garments are
produced quickly to respond to trends, so high street
shops are constantly updating their stock. This way of
making clothes is super wasteful and harmful for the
environment, especially as these cheap, poor quality
clothes are quickly discarded to be replaced with the
next trend.
Producing fabrics uses lots of energy, water and often
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
1 OPSHOPPING is the ideal choice for students as clothing is cheap and pieces are
one of a kind. Opshopping increases the life of clothing and
decreases the amount of new cloting needing to be produced. There are many
cheap charity op-shops around Wellington City and the surrounding suburbs, and
some more curated options in town such as Recycle Boutique, Thrift and Spacesuit.
2 Another option is buying from ETHICAL/ SUSTAINABLE BRANDS. These brands
often don’t have a student-friendly budget but if you can save up to buy a
statement or staple piece they will be made well out of high quality organic
materials and last a lifetime. A great example is Kowtow, a New Zealand brand who
has a very sustainable, transparent brand ethos.

harmful chemicals/dyes. Also involved are countless

other steps in the process including packaging, postage
and the running of factories. Our increasing rate of
consumption has led the clothing industry to become
the second largest polluter in the world after oil. New,
cheap clothing is impossible to be made without dam-
aging the earth and exploiting workers.
3 FIXING CLOTHES is an easy, cheap way to extend the life of your garments It’s
easy to discard and replace your clothing when it breaks, but we should really be
fixing things instead of sending them to the landfill. If you don’t know how to sew
ask a friend or classmate- there are always people around campus willing to help!
4 BUY LESS AND BUY THOUGHTFULLY. It’s easy to get caught up in the hype of a
sale or good deal, but don’t buy things if you know you’ll only wear it once or twice,
and try not to buy impulsively.

At the other end its life, clothing causes many issues

too. 4% of all waste sent to landfills in NZ is textile Following these guidelines will result in you having more unique,
high quality, longer lasting garments.
waste, which adds up to 600 million kg annually. Op-
shops are a good place to send unwanted clothes, but
the problem is in the huge quantities and low quality
of the cheap, fast fashion they receive. We can’t rely
on offloading our clothing waste to these places/cloth-
ing recycling bins as they will often end up being sent
to landfills. The only solution is to reduce our consump-
tion.

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 SHAMPOO, CONDITIONER AND
EASY SWAPS SOAP BARS Globally, we throw out 552 million
shampoo bottles yearly, and that’s not even including
conditioner, bodywash or other hygiene products. Shampoo,
conditioner and soap bars are an easy switch to make.
MENSTRUAL CUPS They last a very long time, save money and don’t
come in plastic packaing. Soap bars are available
New Zealand sends 357 million disposable
at all supermarkets, and solid shampoo,
tampons and pads to the landfill annually
conditioner and deoderant are made
(enough to wrap the circumference of the
by many brands including Lush,
entire world). Menstrual cups are a reusable
Dirty Hippie and Ethique.
alternative, the cups last for up to 10 years. By
using a menstrual cup, you will prevent 2500
disposables from entering the landfill and
SHOPPING
save heaps of $$$. Wā collective sells and PRODUCE BAGS
super affordable cups for students online at
wacollective.org.nz.
BULK Our single-use plastic shopping/produce bags are
BINS used for around 12 minutes on average and take
centuries to break down. They pollute oceans,
Bulk bin shopping reduces the amount of kill wildlife, clog up landfills and blow into
packaging waste. Places like Hopper Home Eco the bush. Plastic bags are in the
Store, Commonsense Organics, Bin Inn and process of being phased by the
supermarkets have bulk food sections where government, but we need to act
you can take and fill your own containers/jars quicker. Plastic bags are easily
with dry foods such as baking ingredients, replacable with reusable bags
pasta and rice. Good Housekeeping on and cloth produce bags.
Cuba Street also sells lots of cleaning These bags can be
and hygiene products from bulk. bought cheaply from
Nude Grocer is a Wellington
service where groceries are
many places and fold PLASTIC CUTLERY,
up to be small
KEEP CUPS delivered to your door in jars
and boxes, which they later
and portable. CONTAINERS AND STRAWS
There are 295 million disposable cups used in NZ every pick up and re-use. Straws, plastic cutlery and plastic containers are items that often
year. Many are branded as compostable, but it’s that end up in the landfill. Say no to straws and carry a fork around
simple. They are commercially compostible, meaning they in your bag so you’re never caught short. Many supermarket
have to be collected separately, taken to a special facility and delis, butcheries and takeaway food places will happily put
heated to a high temperature to break down. These facilities food into your own container if you bring one along.
are small and have a very low capacity for cups,
so this process ends up being more costly
than most people are willing to pay for.
These factors result in most disposable
cups ending up in the landfill. Using a
keep cup saves you money on your
drinks and does wonders for the world.
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WELLY HOTSPOTS
Here we have some ace spots around central Wellington to find products, services and advice to help you
along your sustainability journey. Check them out and support them in any way you can!
GOOD HOUSEKEEPING
At Good Housekeeping (287 Cuba Street) , visitors
are encouraged to improve, make, learn and share
fixing skills and choose a different route when it
comes to fast consumerism. Check out their store
for eco/DIY goods, and laundry/toiletry products
that you can fill your own containers up with.
KAICYCLE
Kaicycle is a Wellington service who collect food
scraps from homes and businesses in Wellington
and take it to their urban farm. That waste is
diverted from the landfill and turned into useful
compost instead. All you have to do is fill your
bucket and a friendly Kaicycle cyclist will pick it
up for you once a week and replace your bucket.
A subscription costs $30/month, so split between
four flatmates would cost less than $2 per week
per person. Check out their website for more info!
www.kaicycle.workerbe.co
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OPSHOPS
Wellington is known for its opshopping and
thrifting scene. Take a walk down and around
Cuba Street to find heaps of boutique/curated
vinatage shops. There are also loads of very cheap
charity shops in the CBD and surrounding Welly
suburbs which are full of pre-loved hidden gems!
KAIBOSH
Kaibosh is a Wellington based food rescue
organisation. Kaibosh rescues quality surplus food
from businesses and supermarkets and links it
with community groups that support and feed
people in need. This benefits both our community
and our environment. Kaibosh delivers food to
heaps of shelters and charities, but also delivers
food to students right here at Massey. Swing by
MAWSA (level 3, student services building) and
you’ll pass the free shelf where Kaibosh food is
often available to take for free. Check out their
website for more info at
www.kaibosh.org.nz
THE SUSTAINABILITY TRUST
The Sustainability Trust is an eco hub in
Wellington. They have an shop online and in store
where you can find products and tools to live
sustainably. They also offer advice, run events
/workshops, have a library, support community
projects, give free advocacy/support/advice for
families who live in cold, damp homes and have
drop off points for recycling (e-waste, old bicycles,
curtains and car seats). We’d really recommend
checking out their website www.sustaintrust.org.nz
for a whole load of amazing information and
popping into their space for products and advice!
2 Forresters Lane (off Tory St), Te Aro
WA COLLECTIVE
Wã Collective is a collective of fun, empowered
humans ending period poverty, period waste
and the period taboo in Aotearoa. Wã collective
sells high quality, ethically crafted, zero-waste-
produced menstrual cups. All packaging is NZ
sourced and designed, reusable and compostable,
and each cup purchased subsidises another Wã
Cup for someone in need (preventing period
poverty from affecting education in NZ). Get
yourself a super affordable student subsidised
cup online.
wacollective.org.nz
CoGo
CoGo (connecting good) is a free app that
empowers you to help businesses take action on
global issues. When you register your payment
card through the app, CoGo converts every
transaction you make at a registered CoGo
business into a vote for the world you want. This
bundles the ethical wants and needs of members
together to give businesses an insight into what
us consumers want and where they could focus
their energy to create awesome sustainability
improvements. It’s free, easy to use, and
translates into real life change.
Search and download CoGo on the app store
HOPPER HOME ECO SHOP
Hopper Home Eco Shop is a one stop eco shop
who emphasise locally made goods with respect
to people and the environment. They sell ethical,
sustainable, local products and organic bulk
foods. Hopper Home Eco Shop is also a space for
community connection, offering workshops and
alternatives to help reduce waste in the
community. Visit them in store and sign up to their
mailing list through their fb page (facebook.com
/hopperhomeecoshop) to hear all about their
events, new products, zero-waste hacks and
recipes!
11 Hopper Street, Mt Cook
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 We hope that this guidebook has inspired and educated you on how
to be more conscious about where your products are coming from
and where they’re ending up. It is only through collective effort that
we can see lasting change to this culture of convenience. It will take
some effort on your part, but living with less waste can be afforda-
ble, sustainable and rewarding. Kia kaha, aroha nui

This project came about from an investigation into recycling/com-

posting facilities on campus at Massey University Wellington through
Campus Co-Lab. Our research uncovered that 55% of students felt
that the biggest barrier to recycling and composting more was not
knowing where/how to. The lack of education surrounding these
things was clear, so we thought we’d do something about it. This zine
is just the beginning- let’s come together and keep fighting the good
fight.

Thank you so much to our sponsors: Research by:

TALLULAH FARRAR
LEXI MILLS

Design and Illustration by:

TALLULAH FARRAR

Facilitation by:
MASSEY CAMPUS CO-LAB

REFILL With thanks to:

REPURPOSE
RETHINK MAGS CHALECKA-HARRIS
Up-cycled Items Refillable Food & Household Products Plastic Free Alternatives MARIE LARKING
MARY HUTCHINSON
WCC WASTE MINIMISATION
TEAM