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Waste Solid Waste Composition
Composition of solid waste
How does New Zealand compare?
We have comparatively low proportions of paper waste disposal and average proportions of glass, organic, metal and plastic waste disposal compared with other OECD countries.
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By understanding what materials are in the waste stream we can identify to what degree valuable natural resources are being thrown away rather than reused, recycled or recovered to create other products, materials or energy. This can lead to important economic, environmental and social benefits, and improve our understanding of the environmental and health impacts of waste. Waste composition information can help develop waste minimisation policies, target waste minimisation programmes and improve recycling schemes. As an example, local authorities can use waste composition information to target reuse or recycling schemes for materials that make up a large part of the waste stream in their area.
The Ministry for the Environment's waste composition reporting draws on waste composition surveys at four 'indicator' sites. Such surveys provide a snapshot of waste composition at that time. The findings are indicative estimates of waste composition because of the uncertainty in the survey method and the indicator sites being a sample of the country’s landfills.
Current situation
In 2007–2008, organic waste was the largest proportion of the waste stream at 28 per cent. This waste includes garden cuttings, food scraps and food processing waste. It is produced by both commercial and residential activities. Organic waste can be composted for reuse and to avoid disposal to landfills. Diverting organic waste from landfills can also reduce the amount of greenhouse gas emissions and leachate from landfills.
Rubble (16 per cent), potentially hazardous waste (14 per cent), and timber (11 per cent) were the next largest proportions of the waste stream. Some potentially hazardous waste does not readily lend itself to recovery, reuse or recycling because of its potential to cause harm to people or the environment. However, alternative uses are being researched or are in place for some potentially hazardous waste. For example, sewage sludge can be used in compost. Rubble and timber can often be reused. For example, rubble can be reused as a base for footpaths, roads or under buildings, and as fill in earthworks.
Waste composition proportions for the national indicator sites, 2007–2008
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| Waste Type | Proportion of overall waste stream |
|---|---|
| Paper | 7% |
| Nappies/ sanitary |
3% |
| Plastic | 8% |
| Organic | 28% |
| Glass | 4% |
| Rubble | 16% |
| Timber | 11% |
| Ferrous metal |
4% |
| Non-ferrous metal |
0.5% |
| Textiles | 4% |
| Rubber | 1% |
| Potentially hazardous |
14% |
A significant proportion of other potentially reusable or recyclable materials, such as paper, plastic, metal and glass, are being disposed of to landfills. These materials represent nearly a quarter of all waste disposed of to landfills in New Zealand. If organic waste, timber and rubble are also included, potentially reusable waste represents over three-quarters of the waste stream. Diverting more of these materials from landfills could ensure a more efficient use of valuable natural resources, conserve landfill capacity, and minimise the environmental impacts of extraction and processing of new materials.
Recent trend
Between 2002–2004 and 2007–2008, organic waste had the largest increase in proportion of the overall waste stream, increasing from 21 to 28 per cent.
Also, between 2002–2004 and 2007–2008, the proportion of:
- plastic waste increased from 6 to 8 per cent
- glass waste increased from 2 to 4 per cent
- nappies and sanitary waste increased from 1 to 3 per cent of the overall waste stream.
On the other hand, between 2002–2004 and 2007–2008, the proportion of:
- rubble waste decreased from 23 to 16 per cent
- paper waste decreased from 11 to 7 per cent
- metal waste from 6 to 4 per cent of the overall waste stream.
Waste composition proportions for the national indicator sites, 2002–2004 and 2007–2008
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| Waste Type | Proportion of overall waste stream | |
|---|---|---|
| 2002-04 | 2007-08 | |
| Paper | 11% | 7% |
| Nappies/ sanitary |
1% | 3% |
| Plastic | 6% | 8% |
| Organic | 21% | 28% |
| Glass | 2% | 4% |
| Rubble | 23% | 16% |
| Timber | 11% | 11% |
| Ferrous metal |
5% | 4% |
| Non-ferrous metal |
0.6% | 0.5% |
| Textiles | 4% | 4% |
| Rubber | 1% | 1% |
| Potentially hazardous |
14% | 14% |
Note: Each of the waste types is presented as a change in proportion of the overall waste stream. Changes in proportions show which waste types have a larger or smaller share of the overall waste stream compared with earlier sample periods. This means that relative changes in the waste types can be observed and the relative impact of the drivers for those changes assessed. Conclusions about absolute changes to waste composition cannot be made because the indicator does not present changes in quantity of each waste type.
Long-term trend
Potentially hazardous waste increased between 1995 and 2007–2008 from 8 to 14 per cent. All of the increase occurred between 1995 and 2002–2004. This may reflect early progress in pilot schemes to manage potentially hazardous waste and contaminated sites.
Glass waste also increased between 1995 and 2007–2008 from 2 to 4 per cent of the waste stream. There was little change in the proportion of glass waste between 1995 and 2002–2004, and most of the increase has been in the past four years.
The proportion of paper waste in the waste stream decreased consistently between 1995 and 2007–2008 from 19 to 10 per cent of the overall waste stream. Metal waste decreased from 6 to 4 per cent, with much of this decrease occurring in the past four years.
The changes in organic and construction and demolition wastes are largely artificial due to a change in the classification of soil between the earlier Waste Analysis Protocol and more recent Solid Waste Analysis Protocol.
Waste composition proportions, 1995 and 2007–2008
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| Waste Type | Proportion of overall waste stream | |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 2007-08 | |
| Paper | 19% | 10% |
| Plastic | 7% | 8% |
| Organic | 36% | 28% |
| Glass | 2% | 4% |
| Construction & demolition |
17% | 27% |
| Metal | 6% | 4% |
| Other | 5% | 5% |
| Potentially hazardous |
8% | 14% |
International comparison
Overall, New Zealand has comparatively low proportions of paper waste disposal, average proportions of glass, organic, metal and plastic waste disposal and high proportions of ‘other’ waste disposal compared with other Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries.
New Zealand has the third lowest proportion of paper waste out of 30 OECD countries. New Zealand’s paper proportion is around 13 percentage points lower than both Australia’s and the OECD average. The low proportion for paper may reflect the high levels of paper recovery in New Zealand.
Proportion of paper waste in OECD countries
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| Country and ranking | Proportion of overall waste stream |
|---|---|
| Turkey 1 | 6% |
| Czech Republic 2 | 8% |
| New Zealand 3 | 9% |
| Australia 17 | 23% |
| Finland 28 | 40% |
| Canada 29 | 47% |
| Sweden 30 | 68% |
| OECD Average | 24% |
New Zealand has an average proportion of organic waste compared with other OECD countries, ranking 19th. Australia is above the OECD average for organic waste, ranking 25th equal. Our average proportion of organic waste may reflect the limited diversion of household and commercial organic waste in New Zealand, along with changing patterns in household consumption.
Proportion of organic waste in OECD countries
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| Country and ranking | Proportion of overall waste stream |
|---|---|
| Germany 1 | 14% |
| Czech Republic 2 | 18% |
| Canada 3 | 24% |
| New Zealand 19 | 36% |
| Australia 25= | 47% |
| Spain 27 | 49% |
| Mexico 28 | 51% |
| Turkey 29 | 64% |
| OECD Average | 35% |
New Zealand’s proportion of glass waste is slightly lower than the OECD average (ranking eighth equal), while the proportions of metal (19th equal) and plastic (19th equal) waste are both slightly above the average. New Zealand has a lower proportion of glass waste than Australia, the same proportion of metal and a higher proportion of plastic waste.
New Zealand ranks 28th out of 30 OECD countries in the ‘other’ category; with our proportion being one-and-a-half times the OECD average. The high proportion of ‘other’ waste in New Zealand is likely to reflect the relatively large proportions of rubble from landscaping waste and timber from residential waste. Australia has a much lower proportion of ‘other’ waste than New Zealand and ranks seventh out of the OECD countries.
Proportion of ‘other’ waste in OECD countries
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| Country and ranking | Proportion of overall waste stream |
|---|---|
| Finland 1= | 7% |
| Spain 1= | 7% |
| Canada 3 | 8% |
| Australia 7 | 13% |
| New Zealand 28 | 33% |
| Hungary 29 | 35% |
| Czech Republic 30 | 63% |
| OECD Average | 22% |
What can you do?
- Recycle at home – one recycled aluminium can saves enough electricity to run a TV for three hours.
- Buying products that are recycled, have recycled content, or are second-hand can help reduce the volume of waste that goes to landfill.
- Your rubbish could be someone else’s treasure. Give away or sell your unwanted items and reduce your rubbish that goes to landfill.
- Reuse your food waste through composting or a worm farm – both are great for the garden.
- Reduce your rubbish by using reusable shopping bags and coffee cups, buying products with less packaging, and placing a ‘no junk mail’ sign on your letter-box.
This information has come from the Solid waste composition environmental report card and Environment New Zealand 2007
Last updated: 31 July 2009
