Child-safe composting system in development

A new motorised, child-safe composting system is in development for Papatoetoe East School, led by University of Auckland Professor Saeid Baroutian and Paul Dickson from Oke Charity.

Designed as a rotating drum that turns food scraps, garden waste and paper into fresh compost right on school grounds, the system is low-maintenance and easy for small hands to use.

It will take the kinds of things that usually end up in a school bin – banana peels, sandwich crusts, shredded classroom paper – and turn them into nutrient-rich soil for the school’s māra kai and gardens.

The system is capable of processing more than 50kg of waste per week, diverting organics from landfill and reducing methane emissions.

"If we want sustainability to be second nature for the next generation, we need to give them more experiences like this," says Baroutian.

"Composting is the circular economy in action."

The Child-Safe Smart Composting pilot is funded by Auckland Council’s Waste Minimisation Innovation Fund and delivered in partnership with the University of Auckland, UniServices, Oke Charity and Papatoetoe East School. The team also includes University researcher Anne-Marie Coleman. 

The project arrives in light of International Compost Awareness Week (May 3-9). But it’s about more than just waste reduction, says Baroutian.

"This is not just a compost bin. We are designing a child-safe, engineered composting system that can work in a real school setting while also becoming part of how students learn about sustainability, materials, food systems and care for the environment."

The insulated in-vessel composting system will have guarded parts and controlled access so students can get involved safely. It will also have basic sensors to monitor conditions such as temperature and moisture.

The pilot will track how much waste is diverted, how easy the system is to run and the quality of the compost it produces.

Dickson says the project began with a casual conversation with Baroutian in 2025, where he asked whether the University might be able to help solve the food waste and composting challenges he had been seeing across schools in Auckland.

"Never in my wildest dreams did I think that casual conversation would turn into a fully funded research and development project this quickly," he says.

Dickson also notes that schools have the right intentions with composting and waste reduction: scraps are collected and  kids are engaged. But most existing compost systems aren't designed for the reality of a busy primary school environment.

He recently visited New Windsor School, where tamariki are using a Hungry Bin system as part of their learning. The challenges became clear.

"It's awesome to see and the kids were completely into it. But it also highlighted the challenge straight away. The bin was essentially full within a week and the composting process can still take three to six months before usable compost is produced.

"That's the real-world problem we're trying to solve through this project."

The project will also include curriculum‑linked activities, student "green team" leadership, and integration of mātauranga Māori and kaitiakitanga practices.

It is currently in the design phase, with development, installation, training, monitoring and evaluation continuing through 2026 and early 2027.

The results will help shape a replicable design and guidance for wider rollout across Auckland schools.