Auckland Council spends tens of millions annually on the food scraps collection service—equating to $1,440 per tonne of CO₂ reduction, vastly exceeding the current Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) price of around $50 per tonne. ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
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Issue #98 for 11 May 2025
The $1,440-per-tonne climate illusion: Auckland’s food scrap bins don’t add up
In brief
Auckland’s green bin programme costs ratepayers more than $36 million per year.
Bins are manufactured in Australia, liners come from China, and scraps are trucked to Reporoa (near Rotorua) – with no full lifecycle emissions audit.
Carbon savings cost about $1,440 per tonne, compared to an ETS carbon price of $50–$60 per tonne.
Auckland Council defends the programme under the “emissions reduction hierarchy” despite lacking complete emissions accounting.
Labour mandated that all councils implement food scraps collection by 2030 before the policy was overturned by the new Coalition.
Only about 35% of Auckland households use the bins weekly.
Industry insiders say the programme is wasteful, inefficient, and politically driven.
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