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About the hazardous waste policy framework

Introduction

Hazardous waste comes from many sources such as industry, households, small businesses and school laboratories. Hazardous wastes are often mixtures of different materials but they also include old agricultural chemicals, medical and pharmaceutical wastes (infectious material, old medicines and pharmaceuticals), waste oils, waste acids, waste treated timber and radioactive wastes. Contaminated soils are another form of hazardous waste.

General statements can be made about the nature and extent of hazardous wastes in New Zealand. These are that:

  • the available data on hazardous waste generation indicate that the relatively low level of industrial development and small population of New Zealand means the ‘historic waste’ problem is less severe than in most developed countries and levels of hazardous wastes generation are lower. However, it should be noted that the collection and quality of data on hazardous waste generation in New Zealand needs more work.
  • the predominantly rural basis of New Zealand's economy has contributed to a particular problem with ‘historic’ agricultural and forestry chemical wastes.
  • a very high proportion (estimated to be 80 per cent) of the hazardous wastes in New Zealand are liquid wastes.
  • a very high proportion of liquid hazardous wastes are processed through the wastewater system of sewers and wastewater treatments plants and are subject to territorial local authority trade wastes bylaws and regional council discharge consents.

Background

For several years, the Ministry for the Environment has been working towards a comprehensive hazardous wastes management policy.  When the New Zealand Waste Strategy was produced in 2002, it included a target that an integrated and comprehensive national hazardous wastes policy will be in place by December 2005. This would cover reduction, transport, treatment and disposal of hazardous wastes to effectively manage risks to people and the environment.

In December 2004, the Ministry outlined the proposed policy framework and undertook a stock take of the policy elements already in place or under development. It also provided an indication of what work was still considered necessary before the target in the Waste Strategy could be met. This paper outlining the proposed policy framework was placed on the Ministry for the Environment’s website. The paper indicated that the hazardous wastes policy framework was still under development and that the material on the website would be subject to change as the work progressed.

One outcome from the policy stock take was the formation of a Hazardous Wastes Advisory Group to advise the Ministry on the further development and implementation of policy. This group has members from industry, local government and central government agencies.  This group has met on a number of occasions. The group has been and continues to be supportive of the policy approach adopted by the Ministry and has provided advice on the elements of policy still under development.

The work on hazardous wastes policy is part of a broader programme of work arising from the implementation of the 2002 New Zealand Waste Strategy. There are aspects of this broader work programme (including work on landfills and on product stewardship) that will make a contribution to the reduction and safe management of hazardous wastes. There has been work to improve the effectiveness of the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms (HSNO) Act 1996. The Hazardous Substances and New Organisms (Approvals and Enforcement) Amendment Act 2005 will allow the establishment of group standards that are intended to be applied to categories of hazardous wastes. The Ministry is currently exploring how group standards will be produced and to what extent they can be used to manage hazardous waste.

Set out below is the policy framework for the management of hazardous wastes in New Zealand, as at June 2006. This policy framework includes existing legislation as well as regulations, guidelines and codes of practice, which are available to improve management. Significant work has already been done to ensure that the policy framework is comprehensive. Some elements such as an effective waste tracking scheme are well progressed, while others such as group standards are still in the early stages of development. 

The policy framework includes:

  • the policy objective and the principles guiding policy development
  • the main elements of the policy framework
  • work completed or under development on different elements of the policy framework
  • a brief description of the statutes and agencies involved in the management of hazardous wastes
  • a comment on the monitoring and review of policy.

Policy objective

The overarching goal is the reduction and safe management of hazardous wastes. To achieve this goal the following guiding objectives form the main elements of the policy framework:

  • to provide incentives for the reduction, recovery and reuse of hazardous wastes
  • to ensure that hazardous wastes are treated and disposed of safely
  • to have sufficient knowledge about the generation of hazardous wastes to provide a sound basis for ensuring that these wastes are accounted for
  • to ensure the legacy of contaminated sites and accumulated ‘historic’ wastes are safely managed
  • to fulfil New Zealand’s international obligations relating to the management of hazardous wastes
  • to ensure that the roles and responsibilities of parties implementing aspects of hazardous waste policy are clearly defined and understood.

Last updated: 17 September 2007