Get your hands on our compost
Thanks to the ~85 organisations and ~50 residents around Pōneke who have signed up to our food scrap collection/drop-off services, we end up with heaps of compost to go around. We donate most of it to local community gardens, marae and schools. The rest we sell to home gardeners or use on our urban farm in Newtown to grow kai for the community.
Our recipe
We mix food scraps from our subscribers, leaves and wood mulch donated by arborists, with coffee chaff donated by Coffee Supreme and L’Affare. We also spray beneficial anaerobic microbes throughout to kickstart the decomposition process.
Over 5 to 8 months, our team of staff and volunteers manually process the food scraps and turn them into beautiful biodiverse compost teeming with beneficial bacteria, fungi, creepy crawlies and full of mauri. During the thermophilic stage, the piles reach a peak temperature of over 55°C which kills off any pathogens and seeds, curing the compost.
We minimise potential contamination of persistent chemicals and microplastics by not accepting or composting any fruit stickers or ‘compostable plastics’ which can leak residues, and by not accepting grass clippings which may be contaminated with agrochemicals.
It has a super low carbon footprint since we collect the food scraps using e-bikes and process everything by hand. We bag up our compost in reused grain sacks (courtesy of the Garage Project) which can be returned to us for further reuse - closing the loop.
As an additional safeguard, we have recently started testing our compost and consulting with soil biology experts to ensure we produce high quality compost that has optimal levels of carbon and nitrogen, micro-nutrients, and a balanced microbiome. We think our compost is the best on the block! The worms agree.
How to use
Suitable for all plant types including annuals, trees, shrubs and natives. However, most plants won’t thrive in 100% compost so it is important to mix correctly. It is ideal for:
1. Constructing new garden beds or raised beds by mixing with plenty of topsoil
2. Improving soil conditions in existing beds by applying a 1-3cm layer to the surface or dig into topsoil
3. Seed raising by sifting the compost to remove larger chunks of wood, and adding perlite to a 3:1 ratio
Health and safety precautions should be taken when handling any compost product to reduce risk of inhaling or ingesting fungal spores and harmful microbes that could be present. We recommend that you handle the compost outside or in a well-ventilated area, wear gloves and a face mask, avoid touching your face, wash your hands before eating, drinking and smoking, and wash produce thoroughly before consuming. We also suggest storing in a cool, dry and well-ventilated place (away from children and pets) and avoid handling if you are immunocompromised or have respiratory conditions.
Buy our compost
Buying our compost is an awesome way to support Kaicycle so we can keep doing what we do. If you’d like to get your hands on our living compost, please fill in the form below, then we'll email/text to confirm your order and collection.
Premium compost: $25 per 40L sack (limited supply from our HotRot machine)
Standard compost: $20 per 40L sack (from the farm)
We accept payment via bank transfer only. Please include your initials and ‘compost’ in the reference field.
Kaicycle Inc 15-3971-0068124-01
We offer a 20% discount for staff, volunteers, Community Services Card holders, and subscribers to our food scrap collection/drop-off service. We also offer discounts for larger quantities over 200 litres.
Important things to note:
Pick up is from Kaicycle Urban Farm, 5 Hospital Road, Newtown
Parking is limited. We have one car park in our entrance way which can be used for compost collections.
Pick up involves carrying ~20 kg bags of compost ~10 meters. If you arrive when Kaicycle staff are on site (Tue 10-12, Thu 4-6pm, Fri 9-2pm, Community Days) we can help with loading, otherwise please bring someone with you if you need assistance.
Compost bags are reused grain bags from the Garage Project - no new plastic! Please return these to us for reuse to close the loop - just leave them in the same place you collected compost from.
Our compost is unsifted. We try to remove fruit stickers and chunks of wood, but you may find some in your compost. For seed raising, we recommend sifting and combining with perlite.
Receive a donation of compost
We donate our compost to local māra kai / food growing projects in the community, such as marae, community gardens, schools, kindies, healthcare providers and more!
Please fill in the form below, then we'll email/text to confirm your order and collection.
Important things to note:
Pick up is from Kaicycle Urban Farm, 5 Hospital Road, Newtown
Parking is very limited. We have one car park in our entrance way which you can use for compost collections.
You will need to load up the compost yourselves from our maturation piles, so we advise bringing a pickup truck or trailer and a few helping hands - we can help if someone is on site. If you only need a small amount (<160L) we may be able to bag up the compost for you.
Compost bags are reused grain bags from the Garage Project - no new plastic! Please return these to us for reuse to close the loop - just leave them in the same place you collected compost from.
Our compost is unsifted. We try to remove fruit stickers and chunks of wood, but you may find some in your compost. For seed raising, we recommend sifting and combining with perlite.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at compost@kaicycle.org.nz
We hope our compost goes on to produce some delicious homegrown veggies and native perennials. Let us know how you get on - we love to see photos of your mahi māra! <3
