Source
https://www.earthsong.org.nz/resources/documents — original source (opens in a new tab; the file is not redistributed)
Analysis of Earthsong Eco-Neighbourhood Refuse (WCC audit, April 2010)
Real NZ community waste-reduction benchmark — validates the D03 circular/waste lever
A Waitakere City Council waste audit of Earthsong (1 April 2010) comparing its per-household refuse to the Waitakere average (WasteNot Consulting WAP 2009) and to Earthsong’s own 2003 audit. The headline: on-site composting + sorting cut Earthsong’s landfill refuse to ~a third of the urban average. Measured audit → data_quality high.
Summary
WCC audited Earthsong’s refuse, recycling and paper on 1 April 2010 (sorted at the transfer station) plus two months of weekly per-household weighing, benchmarked against the Waitakere residential average (WasteNot Consulting 2009) and Earthsong’s 2003 audit. At the time Earthsong had 32 households (52 adults + 12 children = 64 people), up from 17 households in 2003. Earthsong’s landfill refuse averaged ~2.80 kg/household (two-month observation; 3.65 kg on the audit day) against the Waitakere average of 9.61 kg/household — roughly a third. Crucially, only 24.4% of Earthsong’s refuse-bag contents could have been further diverted (14.3% organic + 9.3% paper + 0.9% recycling) versus 73% for Waitakere (51% organic + 10% paper + 12% recycling) — because Earthsong composts organics on-site and sorts recyclables, so what remains in its bags is largely genuine refuse.
Key claims
- claim: "REFUSE PER HOUSEHOLD vs WAITAKERE (headline). Earthsong landfill refuse averaged ~2.80 kg/household over a two-month weekly weighing (3.65 kg on the 1 April 2010 audit day; 2.24 kg in the 2003 audit) — against the Waitakere residential average of 9.61 kg/household (WasteNot Consulting WAP 2009). Earthsong therefore sends roughly 29–38% of the per-household landfill refuse of a typical Waitakere household (~a third). Occupancy: 2010 = 32 households (52 adults + 12 children = 64 people); 2003 = 17 households."
source_location: "Quantity of waste per household; two-month observation; Waitakere 9.61 kg comparison"
- claim: "DIVERSION EFFICIENCY (the mechanism). Only 24.4% of Earthsong's refuse-bag contents could have been further diverted from landfill (organic 14.3% + recyclable paper 9.3% + mixed recycling 0.9%; 75.6% genuine refuse) — versus 73% divertable for the Waitakere residential average (organic 51% + paper 10% + recycling 12%). Earthsong's low divertable-remainder reflects that it already composts organics ON-SITE and sorts recyclables; the city's high remainder reflects poor diversion. On-site composting is the main lever."
source_location: "Comparison with Waitakere residential audit (73% divertable) vs Earthsong (24.4% divertable)"
- claim: "STREAM COMPOSITION + TREND. Earthsong 2010 refuse bags (21 bags, 116.7 kg): refuse 75.6%, organic waste 14.3%, recyclable paper 9.3%, mixed recycling 0.9%. Recycling bins (77.52 kg): glass 74%, recyclable plastics 14.5%, steel cans 8.2%, non-conforming 2.8%, aluminium 0.4%. Change 2003→2010: organic-in-refuse rose 1%→14.3% (food scraps that could still go to compost), recyclable plastics 6%→14.5%, steel 6%→8.2%; glass and non-conforming items fell. Method: WCC transfer-station sort + two-month weekly household weighing, benchmarked to WasteNot Consulting Waitakere WAP 2009."
source_location: "Composition of Earthsong rubbish bags (Graph 1); recycling bins (Graph 2); 2003 vs 2010 comparison"Neobiome Intelligence relevance
A real NZ community waste-reduction benchmark for the D03 circular/waste lever. Earthsong’s on-site composting + sorting cut per-household landfill refuse to ~a third of the urban average (~2.80–3.65 vs 9.61 kg/HH) — measured, not modelled. The mechanism is the design insight the model should encode: on-site composting keeps organics out of landfill (only 24.4% of Earthsong’s refuse is still divertable vs 73% city-wide), so a community’s waste-reduction contribution is driven by composting + source-sorting, not by the bag count alone. Complements the Earthsong case’s water (OT_092), cost (OT_078) and energy threads with the waste/circular dimension. Feeds D03 and the earthsong_ranui case. data_quality high (WCC/WasteNot measured audit).
Research targets
Research gaps
- None — measured benchmark that grounds the D03 circular/waste-reduction lever.
Connections
Links to
Cases (1): Earthsong Eco-Neighbourhood
EDT domains (1): D03: Water, Waste & Circular Systems
Referenced by