About the research
Kōtātā Insight conducted a national survey of 1,162 respondents in March 2022 for the Ministry for the Environment. As part of the survey participants were asked about how they dispose of garden waste.
Key findings
- 24% of respondents have no garden
- Of those who garden 25% have materials such as bamboo and flax which can’t be accepted in commercial composting facilities
- 19% of respondents use their rubbish bin to dispose of garden waste, but it is the main means for only 12% of respondents
- 19% of those who use a rubbish bin say it is because they have very little garden waste and 9% because they have material which they believe is unsuitable for home composting (eg, weeds or infected fruit).
Households with gardens
Do you have a garden? |
|
Frequency |
%* |
Yes, I have a garden |
886 |
76.2 % |
I only have a balcony with pot plants |
79 |
6.8 % |
No, I don’t have a garden |
197 |
17.0 % |
* Proportion of full sample (n = 1162)
Types of plants grown
If you have a garden, which of these types of plants grow in your garden?
Please tick all that apply
|
|
Frequency
|
%*
|
Lawn
|
764
|
79.2 %
|
Vegetables
|
608
|
63.0 %
|
Fruit
|
562
|
58.2 %
|
Evergreen trees – these leaves stay on the tree all year round
|
555
|
57.5 %
|
Hedge or shrubs which require pruning
|
520
|
53.9 %
|
Deciduous trees – these leaves fall off the tree in the winter
|
502
|
52.0 %
|
Potted colours – flowers which only flower for a short period of time
|
481
|
49.8 %
|
Bamboo, flax, cabbage trees
|
241
|
25.0 %
|
* Proportion of those who have either a garden or a balcony with pot plants (n = 965)
Note: bamboo, flax and cabbage trees are typically too fibrous to be accepted in garden waste collections.
Disposal options for garden waste
If you have a garden, how do you dispose of your garden waste?
Please tick all that apply
|
|
Frequency
|
%*
|
Compost
|
500
|
51.8 %
|
Place in a green waste bin provided by council
|
255
|
26.4 %
|
Place in a rubbish bin
|
185
|
19.2 %
|
Place in a green waste bin or bag hired from a private company
|
183
|
19.0 %
|
Leave in a pile in the garden
|
217
|
22.5 %
|
Take to a transfer station
|
117
|
12.1 %
|
Other
|
44
|
4.6 %
|
* Proportion of those who have either a garden or a balcony with pot plants (n = 965)
Main disposal method
If you have a garden, which is your main way of dealing with your garden waste?
Please tick the main one.
|
|
Frequency
|
%*
|
Compost
|
319
|
33.1 %
|
Place in a green waste bin provided by council
|
165
|
17.1 %
|
Place in a green waste bin or bag hired from a private company
|
158
|
16.4 %
|
Leave in a pile in the garden
|
119
|
12.3 %
|
Place in a rubbish bin
|
116
|
12.0 %
|
Take to a transfer station
|
57
|
5.9 %
|
Other
|
34
|
3.5 %
|
* Proportion of those who have either a garden or a balcony with pot plants (n = 965)
Reason for using rubbish bin as a disposal method
If you place your garden waste in your rubbish bin, why do you do so?
|
|
Frequency
|
%
|
I have very little garden waste
|
224
|
19.3 %
|
It’s too expensive to hire a green waste bin
|
96
|
8.3 %
|
I don’t have room to compost
|
87
|
7.5 %
|
You are not supposed to compost this type of waste e.g., infected fruit, weeds
|
104
|
9.0 %
|
Other
|
34
|
2.9 %
|
I don't place garden waste in a rubbish bin
|
734
|
63.2 %
|
Biases in the sample
While typically a survey would be nationally representative there are some small biases to this sample.
- Women are somewhat overrepresented.
- In terms of age, the survey sample approximates the age distribution in the overall population well. However, there is an underrepresentation of people between 18 and 24 years of age.
- Despite strong efforts by the market research company to boost Māori survey responses, working with three additional partners to increase their reach, the final sample includes relatively lower counts for people of Māori as well as people of Pacific ethnicity.
- In terms of household income, the samples include relatively higher counts of those in the lower-income groups and lower counts of people in the higher-income groups.