Executive Summary
The biological decomposition of rubbish in landfills produces landfill gas. This gas contains approximately equal amounts of methane (45 to 60%) and carbon dioxide (40 to 60%), along with a number of trace gases. The effective management of methane is important, as it is a potent greenhouse gas with a global warming capability over 21 times that of carbon dioxide. Methane can be destroyed through combustion, although at present there is no national requirement for landfill operators to collect and destroy methane.
Landfill gas emissions make up 4% of New Zealand's total methane emissions. Although this proportion is not large, the Government has made a commitment to reduce New Zealand's greenhouse gas emissions and has accounted for a reduction from the waste sector in the climate change policy package. If reductions are not made, New Zealand could restrict its ability to meet its obligations under the Kyoto Protocol.
The recently introduced Resource Management (Energy and Climate Change) Amendment 2004 confirms the Government's policy that emissions of greenhouse gases will be controlled at a national level. The Act aims at national co-ordination by removing the power of local government to consider the effect of greenhouse gas emissions on climate change when making rules in regional plans, or when determining air discharge consents (except where necessary to implement a national environmental standard).
This means we need to consider the best form of national policy. In this analysis we assess the four main policy options against the objectives determined by the Minister for the Environment for landfill gas emissions management in New Zealand. We conclude that the best option is a national environmental standard.
Although the Resource Management Act was passed more than 12 years ago, no national environmental standards have been developed under the Act. Unlike other countries, New Zealand has no national standards for environmental protection. The intention of the proposed standard would be to ensure existing best practice for continues.
Section 32 of the Resource Management Act requires the Minister for the Environment to evaluate the objectives and policies of any proposed national environmental standards. A report must be prepared that evaluates whether the proposal is the most appropriate method for achieving the objectives, having regard to their efficiency and effectiveness. This analysis is included within this report.
National environmental standards have been advocated by industry to give both a 'level playing field' across regions, and to provide certainty in decision-making under the Resource Management Act. The benefits in terms of providing a level playing field and increasing certainty in decision-making are large, but are not calculated in the subsequent analysis.
Instead, the report focuses on the costs and benefits of using national environmental standards to provide an equitable bottom-line of health and environmental protection for all New Zealanders.
