CTET Greenwaste begins new compost venture | Taranaki Sport | Surfing, Rugby, Soccer, Football, Cricket in Taranaki

The Central Taranaki Employment Trust (CTET) is about to be up to its knees in compost.

The high quality compost will be manufactured right here in Stratford and by this time next year locals will be able to order it by the trailerload.

The move to composting is a natural progression from the Trust's Greenwaste business unit which provides a number of services including lawnmowing, section clearing, hedge trimming and green waste removal to Stratford and District residents. The green waste is mulched and sold.

The mulch will now be converted to top quality compost at CTET's Victoria Road property.

In May, the CTET purchased the green waste collection arm of Stratford Metal Supplies and with it, 170 new green waste customers. This will initially double the amount of green waste currently collected by the Trust.

Over the next few months, the Trust will expand their services into Inglewood, Eltham and Kaponga.

CTET committee chairman, Barrie Smith, is delighted that CTET was able to make the purchase. He believes the service would have ceased to exist if CTET hadn't taken it on board.

"Stratford Metal Supplies took the green waste they collected to the dump.

When we found out that part of their business was up for sale we immediately thought how it would go hand in hand with what we already have. We could merge it with our Greenwaste business to make compost.

"We wanted to produce another quality resource for the community.

We are motivated to employ people and we are also concerned about caring for our environment. The compost idea worked beautifully with our philosophy." Local CTET manager, Nick Brady, is excited about the prospect of a compost plant.

"I have been learning all about compost and its manufacture. We will be making it aerobically, which means it will be sitting in the open air and it will be turned by tractor. This minimises odour and works equally as well as other methods.

"We will seek technical support to ensure we provide product that is equal to, or better than anything else, on the market. We will be able to deliver in bulk which will appeal to gardeners who have large areas to revitalise. We aim to become a fully accredited compost manufacturer," he said.

Greenwaste Compost will not have a retail outlet.

They will bulk deliver to order.

The Trust has received resource consents from both the Stratford District Council and the Taranaki Regional Council. Their TRC resource consent leaves them room to produce large volumes of compost.

John Lange, currently with the CTET Greenwaste service, will be in charge of Greenwaste Compost operations.

Barrie is thankful for the support and encouragement CTET received from Taranaki Electricity Trust.

"They have shared our vision and have assisted our Trust in many ways since it was formed nine years ago," he said.

CTET manager Nick Brady, CTET chairman, Barrie Smith, and Greenwaste Compost Operations Officer, John Lange, stand beside the collection truck that will collect local green waste to be composted.