[Not government policy]
3. Approach to the work
The positions and possibilities associated with waste levies were enquired into in a series of semi-structured interviews undertaken by the author, and in a few instances with Ministry for the Environment staff present. The interviewees are from a range of waste companies (principal activity - collection, transport and landfill), recycling / reuse companies (principal activity - collection, transform / reuse or sell / export), regional and local government, and one business and one community NGO. Two were contacted by telephone.
Auckland interviewees predominated but individuals from and having knowledge of issues in Waikato, Hawkes Bay, and Christchurch were included. Twenty interviews were completed involving 30 individuals.
The interviews were guided by, but not restricted to, the following questions:
- Why have a waste levy at all?, and
- If there were a levy,
- What are legitimate uses for the money raised?
- What uses are not fair and reasonable?
- What is the most effective means of collecting it?
- What is the most effective means of distributing it?
- How critical is the point of collection?
- What are the benefits and the problems of a regional / sub-regional levy?
- How can the problems be managed?
- What are the benefits and the problems of a national levy?
- How can the problems be managed?
- What are your sector’s other ‘members’ attitudes to levies and to subsidies of this sort?
- Can you identify any precedent or model for collecting or recycling the levy?
