Incentives for the reduction, recovery and reuse of hazardous wastes
The policy objective is to provide incentives for the reduction, recovery and reuse of hazardous wastes. The Ministry is working to removing barriers and establishing incentives for the efficient use of resources, and through mechanisms promoting more efficient resource use.
The incentives for the reduction, recovery and reuse of hazardous wastes are similar to those that apply to wastes generally. These include ensuring that the price of disposal reflects the full costs and high environmental standards are established through the lifecycle of the wastes.
Product Stewardship (Extended Producer Responsibility) schemes can be effective in encouraging more efficient use of materials and in providing mechanisms for the recovery and recycling of products at the end of their life. The development of product stewardship policy, with back-up legislation, will further encourage the development of specific schemes covering special wastes. These wastes often have hazardous characteristics.
Elements in place
- The Landfill Full Cost Accounting Guide for New Zealand. This guide provides a sound basis for local authorities to account for the full costs of landfills, including the costs of environmental controls and post-closure management. There has been an economic incentive for the recovery and recycling of waste since the development of privately owned waste disposal facilities with full cost recovery. The growing move by councils to reflect the full cost of waste disposal in user charges is extending this price incentive to local authority-owned facilities. In theory, the increasing costs of disposing of hazardous waste provide an economic incentive to reduce the amount of waste being disposed of and can make recycling options economically viable.
- The Local Government Act which contains provisions that can be used by councils to encourage the reduction of hazardous wastes. Tools under the Act include licensing facilities, allocating costs of waste production and providing incentives to reduce, recover and reuse waste.
- Product Stewardship (or ‘Extended Producer Responsibility’) which is a policy principle in the New Zealand Waste Strategy. Voluntary schemes covering used oil, mobile phones and agriculture chemical containers already make a contribution to the reduction, recovery and reuse of potentially hazardous wastes. These schemes are extending their scope and are expected to increase their impact into the future. The Ministry is also continuing to work with other industry sectors to develop schemes.
- National Environmental Standards for air quality, which became regulation in October 2004 and prohibit the following activities which produce hazardous wastes:
- the burning of tyres in the open
- the burning of bitumen used in road maintenance
- the burning of copper wire in the open
- the burning of oil in the open
- the deliberate use of landfill fires
- the construction of new high temperature hazardous waste incinerators
- a further national standard prohibiting school and healthcare incinerators, unless resource consents are obtained, comes into force on 1 October 2006.
Elements still under development
The further development of Product Stewardship policy (outlined in the Ministry’s July 2005 discussion paper) is likely to encourage the establishment of more voluntary industry-led product stewardship schemes and include legislation that could be used, if needed, to regulate schemes. More information on the development of the Ministry’s Product Stewardship policy is available from the website.
Last updated: 17 September 2007
