Final disposal to landfill in New Zealand

The New Zealand Waste List (L-Code) provides guidance on wastes generated by various industry sectors and municipal wastes. The L-Code contains wastes including those regarded as hazardous. Any waste on the list marked with an asterisk (*) is regarded as a hazardous waste according to the Draft Definition of Hazardous Waste. A number of WEEE are marked as hazardous waste on the New Zealand waste list, for example, discarded electrical and electronic equipment containing hazardous components.

The Ministry for the Environment has published two guidance documents, Module 1: Hazardous Waste Guidelines - Identification and record-keeping and Module 2 – Hazardous Waste Guidelines: Landfill Waste Acceptance Criteria and Landfill Classification.

Under these guidelines, landfills with a higher standard of environmental protection (Class A landfills) will be able to accept wastes subject to less stringent criteria than those applicable to lower standard (or Class B) landfills. This will result in hazardous wastes only being able to be accepted after they have been treated or stabilised to minimise hazards and then disposed of at landfills that offer an appropriately high standard of environmental protection.


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Last updated:15 March 2011