Waste Management in New Zealand: A decade of progress

Foreword

Part One: A New Direction

Part Two: Taking Action

Part Three: Making Progress

Annex 1: Chronology of Waste Action: Major Events 1996 - 2005

Foreword

Like all OECD countries, New Zealand is periodically reviewed by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) on its environmental performance.

In preparation for the most recent OECD Environmental Performance Review of New Zealand (June 2005), a stocktake of New Zealand's environmental performance was conducted across a range of areas - from waste management to biodiversity and water quality. This document is based on background information on waste that the Ministry for the Environment prepared for the OECD.

I'd like to recognise that we had a lot of help from other government agencies, regional and local government, NGOs and industry in pulling this information together. This reflects the diverse range of organisations involved in managing waste in New Zealand today. In accordance with local decision-making, much of the responsibility for managing waste is devolved to local government and the private sector. A partnership approach has therefore been important in achieving improvements in waste management in this country.

As this document indicates, New Zealand has made significant progress in waste management since the last OECD Environmental Performance Review in 1996. We can attribute these achievements to strengthened environmental controls brought about by the Resource Management Act and the Local Government Act, progress in waste management planning at the local level, and some real achievements in partnering with industry for waste minimisation outcomes. With the recent introduction of national environmental standards, the piloting of a waste tracking system and increased support for the clean up of contaminated land, we expect continued progress in improving waste management in New Zealand over the coming decade.

Achieving excellence in waste management requires robust planning, community participation and innovation. As a nation, we can be proud of our achievements in waste management to date, and use them to inspire us to make further gains.

I look forward to sharing the OECD Report on New Zealand with you when it becomes available.

Barry Carbon

Chief Executive Officer

Ministry for the Environment

"If we are to give New Zealanders the environment they expect and deserve then a sound waste management programme has to be high on our list of priorities. Management of New Zealand's waste is not just an abstract environmental issue: it can affect where we live, work and play. Managing our waste in a sustainable and responsible way is a social and economic imperative. We owe it to ourselves and to future generations to get it right."

Barry Carbon, CEO, Ministry for the Environment