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re:source
Issue 7, December 2009, INFO 461

Rethinking Waste Potential

Welcome to the seventh re:source newsletter, 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:

Ministry involvement at WasteMINZ

The Hon. Dr Nick Smith, Minister for the Environment, opened the 21st Annual WasteMINZ Conference by acknowledging how ‘the Ministry had gone into fast forward’ in the year following the introduction of the Waste Minimisation Act 2008, and observed that there has been a shift in focus from waste management to waste minimisation.

During his address, the Minister launched the Waste Minimisation Act’s new ‘Guide to Product Stewardship for Non-Priority Products’ and the criteria for the Waste Minimisation Fund.

Martyn Pinckard, Director of Operations at the Ministry, outlined the Ministry’s strategic direction during his address to the conference, and gave an overview of the Waste Act Implementation Programme.

During the conference, representatives from the Ministry gave a number of presentations and workshops including: product stewardship, the Basel Convention, the Emissions Trading Scheme, contaminated land, cleanfill management and a disposal facility operator workshop.

The Ministry’s stall, which won the “Most Sustainable Stall” award at the trade expo, acted as a hub for attendees who wanted to speak with Ministry staff.

If you would like a copy of any of the Ministry presentations from the conference or further information on the Ministry’s involvement at WasteMINZ 2009 please contact us at waste@mfe.govt.nz 

Packaging Accord hits recycling targets

On 17 November 2009 the Packaging Accord Governing Board released the final progress report on the five-year agreement.

The report shows that the recycling targets set for each packaging material have been met or exceeded.

Tony Nowell, Chair of the Governing Board, said: “This is an impressive result given the impact of the recession on commodity prices particularly for paper, steel and plastics. Last year packaging recovery fell back slightly to 58 per cent across all materials."

However, this is in the context of:

  • New Zealand packaging production increasing overall by 1.8 per cent
  • consumption increasing by four per cent overall with the exception of steel which declined
  • recovery increasing by two per cent with all sectors reporting increased tonnages except for paper
  • collection of steel, aluminium and plastics increasing with the introduction of the Auckland Materials Recovery Facility.

To see the full article go to: http://www.packaging.org.nz/media/media_news.php

Waste Minimisation Fund – opening soon

On 14 October 2009, the Hon. Dr Nick Smith, Minister for the Environment, announced the criteria for the Waste Minimisation Fund.

The Fund uses a portion of proceeds from the waste disposal levy to fund waste minimisation projects.

The draft fund criteria were part of the Waste Minimisation in New Zealand discussion document, released by the Ministry earlier in the year. Public submissions were taken into account. The criteria were then changed to reflect public submissions and reviewed by the Waste Advisory Board, then approved by the Minister for the Environment.

Click here to view the full Waste Minimisation Fund Criteria.

The Waste Minimisation Fund will open 1 December 2009. Application forms and guidance material will be available at this time. The first funding round will remain open for three months, closing 1 March 2010.

To ensure you are kept up to date with progress on the Waste Minimisation Fund make sure you have registered your interest by emailing: wmf@mfe.govt.nz.

Waste Minimisation Fund information workshops

The Ministry will be running workshops to inform potential applicants of the Waste Minimisation Fund criteria, application requirements and the assessment process.

The workshops will be held early in December 2009 when application and guidance material will be made available.

The workshops will run for approximately two and a half hours, and will include a presentation and group sessions.

An invitation and further details regarding timing and venue information will be provided to members of the interest group for the Waste Minimisation Fund. If you are interested in being kept informed about these workshops and progress with the Fund please email: wmf@mfe.govt.nz.

Product stewardship guidance now available

In mid-October the new “Guide to Product Stewardship for Non-Priority Products” was released.

The guide explains the concept of product stewardship for non-priority products and outlines how schemes can go about applying for accreditation as part of the Waste Minimisation Act.

Product stewardship considers options for reuse, recycling and recovery to reduce environmental harm when the product becomes waste.

Simple and inexpensive changes made at the design, production and distribution, recovery or disposal stages can make a big difference to a product’s environmental impact.

Product stewardship accreditation under the Act is a government endorsed certification. Accreditation verifies that schemes have been measured against the criteria in the Act. To receive voluntary accreditation, schemes will need to achieve a reduction in harm to the environment or minimise waste, or ideally both.

The Guide to Product Stewardship for Non-Priority Products is now available on the Ministry’s website.

For more information on product stewardship email: PSAccreditation@mfe.govt.nz

Waste Minimisation Act - upcoming stakeholder feedback survey

During December, you will be asked to complete a brief online survey to provide feedback to the Ministry on the implementation of the Waste Minimisation Act.

We are interested in your views on our performance and your experience to date working with us on this project. Information collected during this survey will help plan future work programmes, so please take the time to assist us by completing this survey.

If you have any questions regarding the survey please contact the Waste Minimisation team on 0800 935 389 or email waste@mfe.govt.nz