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Waste Minimisation Act 2008

The Waste Minimisation Act 2008 encourages a reduction in the amount of waste we generate and dispose of in New Zealand and aims to lessen the environmental harm of waste.

This Act also aims to benefit our economy by encouraging better use of materials throughout the product life cycle, promoting domestic reprocessing of recovered materials and providing more employment.

In a nutshell, the Act:

  • puts a levy on all waste disposed of in landfills to generate funding to help local government, communities and businesses reduce the amount of waste
  • helps and, when necessary makes, producers, brand owners, importers, retailers, consumers and other parties take responsibility for the environmental effects of their products through product stewardship schemes
  • allows for regulations to be made making it mandatory for certain groups (for example, landfill operators) to report on waste to improve information on waste minimisation
  • clarifies the roles and responsibilities of territorial authorities with respect to waste minimisation
  • introduces a Board to give independent advice to the Minister for the Environment on waste minimisation issues.

Implementing the Waste Minimisation Act 2008

Consultation Waste Minimisation Act implementation – March-May 2009

The closing date for submissions on the Waste Minimisation Act 2008 discussion document was 15 May 2009. Approximately 250 submissions were received.

We are currently analysing the submissions received on each part of the discussion document and this will help inform future policy. Due to the diverse nature of the topics consulted on, the analysis process for each part is different.

Update from WasteMINZ conference, October 2009

The Hon. Nick Smith, Minister for the Environment, opened the 21st Annual WasteMINZ Conference by acknowledging how the Ministry had gone into “fast forward” with the introduction of the Waste Minimisation Act 2008, shifting the focus from waste management to waste minimisation.

During his address, the Minister launched the Waste Minimisation Act’s new ‘Guide to Product Stewardship for Non-Priority Products’ and criteria for the Waste Minimisation Fund.

The Waste Minimisation Fund’s first funding round opens on 1 December 2009. The criteria for the Waste Minimisation Fund are now available on the Ministry website.

Martyn Pinckard, Director of Operations at the Ministry, later outlined the Ministry’s strategic direction and gave an overview of the Waste Act Implementation Programme.

During the conference, representatives from the Ministry gave a number of presentations and workshops including: product stewardship accreditation, the Basel Convention, the Emissions Trading Scheme, the proposed contaminated land National Environmental Standard, best practice principles of cleanfill management and auditing processes under the Act for  disposal facility operator.

The Ministry’s stall, which won the “Most Sustainable Trade Stall” award at the expo, acted as a very successful hub for attendees who wanted to speak with Ministry staff.

If you would like further information on Ministry’s involvement at WasteMINZ 2009 please contact us at waste@mfe.govt.nz.

Links to further information about the Waste Minimisation Act 2008

Last updated: 22 September 2009