Hawke’s Bay is one of the country’s biggest food producers, which also means we are one of the biggest creators of food production waste.
But an exciting new project is set to tackle this.
The recently launched initiative – Sustainable is Attainable Hawke’s Bay – is working to change trash into treasure, not only keeping waste from landfill but developing high-value by-products. With around 30 local businesses already committed to the project, it’s off to a strong start.
Nicky Solomon from Food & Beverage Hawke’s Bay is the coordinator for the project. “It kicked off at the end of 2021 after I had heard about the project in Timaru. Sustainable is Attainable Timaru has been running since 2019 and, with the backing of the district council’s development agency Venture Timaru, they’re already into the advanced research and feasibility stage.”
“I immediately saw the potential for Hawke’s Bay to do something similar, and to join the dots with another similar region,” she says.
Nicky approached a number of organisations, including the 3R Group, for both technical support and funding. “Funding is crucial for a project of this kind. Fortunately, we have received support from all five Hawke’s Bay councils, Callaghan Innovation, Massey University and the Bioresource Processing Alliance,” Nicky says.
First published by BayBuzz. Click here to read the full article.