Waste is inevitable but the community in this New Zealand town is working hard to prevent theirs from ending up in landfill. It’s all being spearheaded by local composter and distiller, Michael Sly.

 

Every day cafes throw away used coffee grounds, hotels dispose of carrot tops, and another invasive tree pops up somewhere we’d rather it didn’t. On their own, these issues feel small, and most people wouldn’t give them a second thought. But Queenstown local Michael Sly isn’t your average person. He saw these gluts in supply and realised they were more than independent problems.

‘The cool thing about waste, when managed correctly, is it’s actually an amazing resource. I like the challenge of seeing really large volumes of what people think is a problem and turning it into something positive’, Sly said.

Michael manufactures compost made from local food waste and the mulch byproduct that is generated from processing wilding pines into essential oils.

He works in partnership with the local businesses to stop a significant amount of commercial food waste from ending up in landfills. He’s helping reduce the impact of the Douglas Fir trees and providing valuable nutrient-dense compost for use in the community.

‘Sustainability is really about how many positive steps you can make in a sequence. You don’t have to take giant leaps. It’s important to play and try things out. Take little steps in the right direction and you’ll be amazed at what you can achieve’, he said.

 

 

Want to hear more good news? The From the Ground Up video series showcases more locals building regenerative futures in Queenstown. Get around it!

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