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Waste Solid Waste
Quantity of solid waste sent to landfill
Current situation
It is estimated that around 8.7 million tonnes of solid waste (from domestic, commercial, industrial and institutional waste sources) was generated in New Zealand in 2006, of which, 2.4 million tonnes was subsequently diverted from landfills. This means that approximately 6.3 million tonnes of waste are sent to landfill and cleanfill sites each year. When averaged across the total population, that represents 1,572 kilograms of solid waste per person per year.
Long term trend
Waste volumes
Estimates of the solid waste sent to landfill in New Zealand have varied significantly from 1990 to 2006, partly as a result of the changing quality of available waste data.
The estimated amount of solid waste disposed of to landfill in New Zealand decreased slightly from 1995 to 2006, from 3.180 million tonnes (or 898 kilograms per person per year) in 1995, to 3.156 million tonnes (or 784 kilograms per person per year) in 2006. During this period, New Zealand’s wealth, expressed as real gross domestic product (GDP) (adjusted for inflation), increased by 40 per cent, largely as a result of expansion in the economic sectors that are major sources of waste (eg, agriculture, manufacturing, transport, tourism, energy and construction).
Estimates of waste disposed of to landfill, 1983-2006, and number of landfills operating, 1995-2006
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Number of landfills | Annual tonnage to landfill |
|---|---|---|
| 1983 | 2,030,000 | |
| 1984 | ||
| 1985 | ||
| 1986 | ||
| 1987 | ||
| 1988 | ||
| 1989 | ||
| 1990 | ||
| 1991 | 3,330,000 | |
| 1992 | ||
| 1993 | ||
| 1994 | 2,700,000 | |
| 1995 | 327 | 3,180,000 |
| 1996 | ||
| 1997 | ||
| 1998 | 209 | 2,765,020 |
| 1999 | ||
| 2000 | ||
| 2001 | ||
| 2002 | 115 | 3,022,000 |
| 2003 | 3,074,837 | |
| 2004 | 3,185,995 | |
| 2005 | ||
| 2006 | 60 | 3,156,000 |
| 2007 |
Comparing the amount of waste disposed of to landfills with GDP shows that in 2006, there was 29 per cent less waste disposed of per thousand dollars of GDP than in 1995. This decrease indicates a decoupling from economic growth of waste disposed of to landfills – a positive environmental outcome. However, it is not known whether this decrease was accompanied by an increase in the waste disposed of to cleanfills or other disposal sites, such as construction and demolition waste landfills.
Although construction and demolition waste landfills are not consented to accept domestic, liquid, or hazardous waste, these landfills are thought to accept large quantities of the total waste disposed of in some areas of New Zealand.
The amount of waste sent to landfills annually has stabilised since 1998. This trend coincides with an increase in the availability of waste recovery initiatives and recycling services throughout New Zealand. At the same time, the proportion of local authorities applying user charges for landfills has now reached 93 per cent. User charges act as an incentive to reduce waste disposal to landfills.
Landfill management
The number of landfills operating in New Zealand decreased from 327 in 1995 to 60 landfills in 2006. This decrease is partly the result of a drive to improve the performance and management of landfills through stronger environmental controls provided by the Resource Management Act 1991, national environmental standards, and best practice guidelines for landfill management. The decrease is also likely to reflect the introduction of user charges to landfills and the consolidation of some waste management operations.
Landfill management practices have greatly improved in the last decade. The proportion of landfills with an engineered liner (liners help to minimise leachate entering and contaminating surface and groundwater systems) rose from 4 per cent in 1998 to 54 per cent in 2006. Landfills that collect potentially hazardous landfill leachate rose from 13 per cent in 1995 to 77 per cent in 2006.
The proportion of landfills that collect methane gas and use it to generate energy has increased from 5 per cent in 1998 to 23 per cent in 2007. At larger landfills, this shift reflects new landfill gas management requirements under the national environmental standards for air quality. It also reflects a growing recognition of the benefits of reusing this potentially valuable waste gas.
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 latest national state of the environment report Environment New Zealand 2007.
Last updated: December 2007
