Toast Martinborough, the long-running wine and food celebration held in Wairarapa, has recorded its most significant sustainability achievement, with a verified waste recovery rate of 99.05 percent at the 2025 event.
The figures, confirmed by local waste minimisation specialists Nonstop Solutions, show that the event – held on 19 January and attended by 4,380 people across seven sites – generated 4,687.5 kg of waste. Of that total, 99.05 percent was successfully diverted from landfill through composting, recycling, or reuse.
Key outcomes included:
- 36.3 percent reduction in landfill waste compared to the 2023 event, with only 85.03 kg of material unable to be recovered.
- 506.3 kg of organic material was composted, including food scraps and compostable packaging.
- 4,078.65 kg of resources were recycled, 93.3 percent of which was glass.
- Resource recovery rates averaged 96.23 percent among attendees and 99.51 percent for vendors and back-of-house operations.
- Waste was hand-sorted into 16 streams, covering compostable packaging, skewers, soft plastics, vapes, hazardous materials and more.
Toast Martinborough has steadily improved its resource recovery rate over the past three years, from 93.6 percent in 2022 to 97 percent in 2023 and now 99.05 percent.
Ariel Codde, General Manager of Toast Martinborough, said the result marked a major milestone in the event’s environmental journey.
“We are incredibly proud of our progress in waste recovery,” said Codde.
“Achieving a 99.05 percent recovery rate is a testament to the collective effort of our team, partners, and attendees.”
Codde said the achievement reflected a strategic approach to waste diversion, vendor engagement, and partnership with sustainability-focused suppliers.
“By prioritising compostable and recyclable materials and working closely with vendors and partners, we are moving closer to meeting our zero-waste commitment,” said Codde.
“This result shows what can be achieved through innovation and collaboration.”
Sophie Brooker, Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Nonstop Solutions, said the milestone reflected years of planning and consistent improvement.
“We began working with Toast Martinborough in 2022, when the resource recovery rate was 93.6 percent. That improved to 97 percent in 2023, and now we’ve reached 99.05 percent, with just 0.95 percent of waste going to landfill,” said Brooker.
Brooker said strong communication with vendors, an exclusive packaging arrangement with BioPak, and clear on-site waste protocols all contributed to the result.
“Vendors received multiple communications about packaging standards and waste management in the lead-up to the event. If any vendors did not meet those standards, we supported them in transitioning to approved BioPak alternatives,” said Brooker.
“All back-of-house waste was also carefully audited.”
Codde added that communication with attendees also played a part.
“We worked with vineyard partners, used our social media platforms, and installed BioPak-branded signage on bins to help educate guests on correct disposal,” said Codde.
Craig Irwin, Managing Director of BioPak New Zealand, said the data showed what was possible when environmental goals were central to event planning.
“Toast Martinborough’s success demonstrates that large-scale events can significantly reduce their environmental impact. It sets a new benchmark for the industry,” said Irwin.
Irwin said all disposable products used were certified home-compostable and able to be processed locally.
“A total of 506.3 kg of compostable material was diverted, including 271.9 kg of packaging and wooden cutlery and 234.4 kg of food scraps,” said Irwin.
Organisers have confirmed that the next Toast Martinborough event will take place on 15 November 2025.
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