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re:source
Issue 6, September 2009, INFO 435

Rethinking Waste Potential

Welcome to the sixth issue of re:source an e-newsletter from the Ministry for the Environment.

re:source will keep you up-to-date with the progress we are making implementing the Waste Minimisation Act 2008 and developments being made in the field of resource efficiency.

If you have any feedback or questions for the Waste Minimisation team about re:source or any other waste-related topics please email us at:
waste@mfe.govt.nz

If you’ve received re:source directly from the Ministry for the Environment, you are already a subscriber. If you are not the original recipient you may subscribe to re:source by emailing waste@mfe.govt.nz

In this issue:

First month of tonnage data received for the levy

With the introduction of the Waste Disposal Levy landfill operators are required, under the Waste Minimisation Act 2008, to submit monthly information on tonnage of waste disposed at their facilities.

The Ministry for the Environment has recently received tonnage information from all registered landfill operators for waste disposed during the month of July 2009.

During July, approximately 200,000 tonnes of waste subject to the levy was disposed of. Payments for this period are due in October 2009.

The levy revenue received from landfills will be used to fund waste minimisation activities.

50 per cent of levy revenue will be allocated to local Councils on a population basis. Councils must spend the money on promoting or achieving waste minimisation in accordance with their Waste Management and Minimisation Plans.

The other 50 per cent, minus administration costs, will be allocated to waste minimisation projects, through the Waste Minimisation Fund.

Criteria for the Waste Minimisation Fund will be available in October and applications for the fund will open in December 2009.  

For more information contact:
Waste Minimisation Fund: wmf@mfe.govt.nz
Product stewardship: PSaccreditation@mfe.govt.nz

Interested in the Waste Minimisation Fund or product stewardship accreditation?

The Ministry for the Environment is currently seeking registrations of interest from those wanting to receive further information about the Waste Minimisation Fund and product stewardship accreditation.

Those who register will receive information by email from the Ministry outlining the latest developments around the Fund or product stewardship from now until the end of the year.

You can unsubscribe to these updates at any time.

Register your interest by emailing your name and email address to: 

Waste Minimisation Fund: wmf@mfe.govt.nz
Subject line: WMF – ROI

Product stewardship: PSaccreditation@mfe.govt.nz Subject line: PS - ROI

For more information on the Waste Minimisation Act 2008 visit: www.mfe.govt.nz/laws/waste-minimisation.html [The Waste Minimisation Act 2008 information has moved since this document was published. Updated 20 October 2009.]

Degradable plastics guide now available

Plastics New Zealand has recently released a guide, to assist in managing degradable plastics in New Zealand, with agreed definitions and standards.

The guide is intended to help consumers, manufacturers and brand owners understand the performance they can expect from degradable plastics and how these plastics will function in the environment.

As degradable plastic technology constantly changes Plastics New Zealand is planning for the guide to be a living document that will be updated by a reference group when required.

For more information on the degradable plastics guide go to:
http://www.plastics.org.nz/page.asp?id=6&newsid=345

Hampton Downs gas to electricity plant opens

On 2 September 2009, the Minister for the Environment, Hon. Nick Smith, officially opened the new gas to energy plant at Hampton Downs landfill in North Waikato.

Landfills produce large quantities of gas resulting from the natural decomposition of highly compacted refuse. For safety and environmental reasons the gas produced requires control and management. This is done by extracting and flaring the gas on an ongoing basis.

EnviroWaste Services Ltd installed this plant at Hampton Downs landfill to complement its already operational gas to energy plants at its Greenmount and Rosedale landfills in Auckland.

The gas to energy Hampton Downs plant currently powers two electrical generators capable of producing over 1000Kwh per engine. Since March 2009 the Hampton Downs plant has generated enough electricity per engine to supply power for 800 households.

There is potential for the plant to generate up to 32MW of electricity as the landfill increases in size. This would be enough to power approximately 25,600 houses.

For more information on EnviroWaste’s gas to electricity plants go to: http://www.envirowaste.co.nz/index.php/Success-stories/landfill-gas-to-power.html

Organic treatment plant for Palmerston North

A new plant to treat organic waste, for further sustainable use, was officially opened at the Palmerston North City Council’s resource recovery centre in mid-July.

TransPacific Technical Services’ plant removes solids from a range of liquid organic wastes in a two stage process. These liquid organic wastes originate from dairy, meat processing, food and other industries, as well as from commercial and domestic sources.

First the raw liquid is run through a screen that separates out matter more than five millimetres in diameter. Then the waste that remains goes through a second process where a belt squeezes out the rest of the liquid from the remaining solids.

The liquid extracted is further processed at the City Council’s Wastewater Treatment Plant while the remaining solids (the ‘sludge’) goes to the Council’s compost site and is mixed with green waste to become ongoing landfill cover.

The plant can process more than 30,000 litres of waste a day that would otherwise be sent to a landfill.

For more information on Palmerston North’s organic treatment plant go to:
http://www.pncc.govt.nz/YourCouncil/NewsAndViews/News/Detail.aspx?id=68719

Wormworx worm farm

Central Wormworx is the largest worm farm in the South Island. The Cromwell based farm can hold up to 300 million worms at any one time.

Worms convert waste materials into an extremely useful and scientifically proven soil conditioner called vermicast.

The worms can eat their own body weight in waste a day with 40 per cent of their food intake returned as vermicast. At Central Wormworx the worms feed on reject fruit plus green and abattoir waste, biosolids and also thrive on animal manure.

In the South Island, where dairy cow effluent is a problem waste stream, Wormworx is looking to help alleviate this issue, in a cost effective way, by taking dairy farm waste and converting the effluent to vermicast.

“The idea would be for farmers to have their own worm beds on which they would spread the effluent from the dairy shed and then use the vermicast as a fertiliser on the paddocks,” said owner Robbie Dick.

For more information contact Wormworx:
phone: 021 132 2964
email: rdick@xtra.co.nz

For more information or to provide further feedback or suggestions for re:source please email: waste@mfe.govt.nz