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Accelerating waste reduction
Every year in New Zealand,
some 3.2 million tonnes of
waste goes to landfill. That
means some 400 kgs per person.
In her statement opening Parliament the Prime Minister outlined the government’s intention to accelerate work reducing the impact waste has on our environment, health and society.
“Without a commitment to greater sustainability in our resource use and way of life, we risk not only damaging our own environment but also exposing our economy to significant risk,” Helen Clark said.
Some good progress has been made. While the estimated amount of waste (approximately 3.2 million tonnes) that went to landfills was 4 per cent more in 2006 than in 2002, there was also a 5 per cent increase in population and 9 per cent increase in GDP over the same period. There is still more work to be done.
By international standards, we have, overall, low volumes of waste and this reduces the viability of New Zealand based recycling and reprocessing facilities. Another challenge is ensuring waste is separated to maximise the opportunities for diversion and re-use. A lack of comprehensive national data on waste generation, diversion and management also makes it difficult to accurately measure our progress.
To address some of these challenges, the Prime Minister announced a huge work programme to improve New Zealand’s environmental sustainability credentials including funding the development of more recycling facilities in public places.
The Prime Minister reiterated the need to introduce legislation this year for a waste levy to help fund better waste minimisation infrastructure, preferably in New Zealand. Product stewardship will also be improved by legislation.
“While voluntary initiatives have been useful, some form of regulatory backup will be necessary for the environmental impacts of manufactured products to be minimised as much as possible,” she said.
Government supported the referral of a member’s bill, the Waste Minimisation (Solids) Bill, to Select Committee so consideration could be given to these issues. If successful, legislation could be enacted before the end of the year.
For more information visit www.mfe.govt.nz/issues/waste or contact Jeffrey Seadon on (04) 439 7630 or email jeffrey.seadon@mfe.govt.nz
Meridian shows the way
Construction using sustainable principles.
Photo: Meridian Energy.
A building site on Wellington’s waterfront is show-casing how the construction industry can improve its sustainability.
Dominion Fund’s three-storey Meridian Energy building, due to be completed late this year, shows how waste can be reduced during construction. Other projects showing the way include the New Zealand Archives Building in Manukau, Auckland and a new animal hospital at Wellington Zoo.
Construction and demolition waste is estimated to make up more than half of New Zealand’s waste stream. Concrete, plaster board and timber are the big three components. Steel, fittings, glass and plastics such as shrink wrap are also thrown away in large quantities.
The volume of construction waste led to the Resource Efficiency in the Building and Related Industries (Rebri) project, a series of best-practice guidelines developed by the Ministry for the Environment, local government and industry which companies can follow to reduce waste. The guidelines are at www.rebri.org.nz/
Since the guidelines were completed the Ministry has continued to fund the development of case studies by engaging consultants to provide expert advice on resource efficiency and waste minimisation for selected building projects. Ministry adviser Mahara Inglis is currently overseeing the contract with environmental consultant URS New Zealand which is working with Fletcher Construction on the Meridian project.
Objectives of the case study are to reduce waste and present a business case to show companies that planning up front to reduce construction waste is financially smart and good business practice.
“The guidelines are new and even though they were developed in partnership with industry, there has been some trepidation. Big companies are watching these case studies closely to see how they go,” Inglis said.
”We are confident the case studies will show that with a bit of up front planning, waste can be successfully reduced.”
URS New Zealand consultant Marta Karlik-Neale says the workers on Meridian site are enthusiastic about the project. Already, 5 cubic meters of paper, 4 cubic meters of mixed recycling, 2 cu m of metal and 200 cu m of timber have been diverted from landfill.
“Fletcher’s has really taken waste minimisation principles on board by implementing a new waste system in their Johnsonville office, and by sharing the experience from Kumutoto (Meridian building) with other sites,” Karlik-Neale said.
The need for sustainable business practices is now an economic imperative and minimising waste during construction helps companies increase the ‘green’ rating of their buildings and activities.
For more information contact Mahara Inglis on (04) 439 7639 or email mahara.inglis@mfe.govt.nz.
