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You are here: The issues Contains: Climate change Contains: Policies and initiatives Contains: Other government sustainability initiatives with climate change benefits Contains:

Other government sustainability initiatives with climate change benefits - Waste

The government is considering and/or implementing a broad range of waste policies, particularly those driven by targets in the New Zealand Waste Strategy.  These include the following:

  • National Environmental Standard for Landfill Gas – requires landfill sites with a design capacity greater than 1 million tonnes of refuse to collect and destroy methane emissions. The regulation sets standards for the flaring of the gas, but also allows for destruction of collected gas via beneficial uses of methane such as electricity generation.
  • Reduce Your Rubbish Campaign – is centred on the website www.reducerubbish.govt.nz. The website provides practical information on how to reduce waste, including advice on how to compost organic materials, recycling, shopping environmentally, and making a difference at work.
  • Packaging Accord – is a voluntary industry and government initiative to make more sustainable use of packaging.  Under the Accord, producers (brand owners and retailers/importers) will take responsibility for what happens to their packaging products throughout their lifecycle, from manufacture to use, to recycling and eventual disposal. The goal is for everyone to waste less and be more efficient when making, using and recovering packaging materials.
  • The Waste Minimisation (Solids) Bill ­ proposes provisions to raise revenue for solid waste reduction and infrastructure programmes. A possible source of this revenue is a national waste levy.
  • Simply Sustainable – an eco-efficiency tool-kit for business that helps reduce their emissions by promoting energy efficiency and best practice in waste management.