How Wins Taranaki Regional Council Environmental Award.

Return 2 Earth
– for composting of organic waste.

Return 2 Earth is based at the New Plymouth Colson Road landfill and each year processes large volumes of green waste, wood shavings and animal shed bedding into high-quality compost for a range of markets.

This operation provides a sustainable use for material that, in most cases, would otherwise have been landfilled. All of the green waste from the New Plymouth and Waitara transfer stations is processed by Return 2 earth.

Outdoor windrows are used with mechanical agitation to optimize the compost process, based on the temperature and moisture content of the windrows.

Use of the company’s products by farmers and gardeners benefits the environment as it is likely to be associated with reduced use of chemical fertilizers, reduced leaching of nutrients, improved soil structure and increased soil carbon sequestration.

Company founder Russell How says he and his wife Nerida are honoured to receive the award and hope it encourages others to put hard work and effort into sustainability. Describing himself as an entrepreneur, Mr How got the idea for Return 2 Earth at a sustainability field day at Ruakura in 2008. “I met Gerry Gillespie, of Zero Waste Australia, who talked about what had been achieved in Australia, and I could see an opportunity to make something happen here.”

Mr How says the Taranaki Regional Council, New Plymouth District Council and Envirowaste Ltd have provided valuable encouragement and assistance, and the company’s product is now used by farmers, local gardeners and the NPDC Parks Department.