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Part One: A New Direction

Introduction

Waste is a fact of life. As in other industrialised countries, the management of waste in New Zealand has taken a more holistic approach than the simple treatment or disposal of waste materials.

Our objectives are to minimise the waste we create, manage and control effectively the waste we produce, and to seek out opportunities to make use of waste materials.

Managing waste in New Zealand

In 1995, there were over 300 landfills in New Zealand. Some of these were little more than poorly managed dumps, with few or no controls in place to manage their environmental impacts.

Today, a decade later, with strengthened environmental controls under the Resource Management Act, best practice guidelines for landfill management in widespread use, and the recent introduction of a suite of national environment standards, we are down to around 90 effectively managed landfills which meet strict environmental criteria. We expect that number to further decrease as waste management facilities consolidate and landfill management practices improve.

The Government's waste management policies have long encouraged implementation of the internationally recognised hierarchy of reduction, reuse, recycling, recovery and residual management of waste materials (the '5 Rs' of waste management). Every New Zealander can make a difference by saying no to unnecessary packaging, choosing re-usable products instead of products designed to be thrown away after one use, separating out their recyclable wastes for recycling, and passing on materials that someone else might be able to use instead of sending them to landfill.

The Ministry for the Environment is proud to be associated with '5 R' type projects. One very successful project of this type was the Reduce Your Rubbish campaign, a campaign designed to raise awareness of New Zealand's growing waste volumes and to provide householders with simple actions they can take to reduce their rubbish. The campaign employed a range of advertising tools such as television, print, radio and the internet. By working together, central government and local government were able to achieve far greater results than acting independently.

A number of other multi-party approaches have also proven successful. For example, the New Zealand Packaging Accord (2004) is a voluntary initiative to make more sustainable use of packaging by minimising packaging volumes and waste. The Accord has set a number of waste minimisation targets across participating sectors, and monitors progress against these. Other industry-led programmes have also been successfully developed to manage end-of-life wastes that are especially hard to manage (eg, used oil, tyres and electronic waste).

Similar collaborative approaches are evident throughout this document as we examine waste minimisation and management in New Zealand over the past decade.

The New Zealand waste profile

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) defines waste as:

"unavoidable materials for which there is currently or no near future economic demand and for which treatment and/or disposal may be required".

Waste can be found in solid, liquid or gaseous form. Each form requires different treatment and control.

Industrial waste in New Zealand encompasses a wide range of materials of varying environmental toxicity, but typically includes general rubbish, packaging, food waste, acids and alkalis, oils, solvents, resins, paints and sludge. These wastes are managed in a number ways, many of them requiring special handling.

By and large, Kiwi families dispose of their household waste through the kerbside rubbish or on-street recycling collection system, or by taking waste materials to landfills and transfer stations. On average, 65% of household rubbish can be recycled or composted. Household liquid waste is collected through the sewerage system, or in septic tanks in cases where households are not connected to the public sewerage system. Gaseous waste - for example the smoke from an open fire - is directly emitted into the air.

While most New Zealanders think of their local landfill when they think of waste disposal, a large component of the waste generated in New Zealand is disposed of to water in the form of dilute liquid 'trade waste'. For that reason, a critical component in the improvement of wastewater management in New Zealand has been the development and adoption of trade waste bylaws. Such bylaws are intended to minimise the risks of discharges into water through the sewerage/wastewater treatment.

The adoption of trade waste bylaws throughout New Zealand has been a success story, and one illustrating the strong leadership shown by local government in the management of waste in local communities.

A review of waste management policy settings

Waste policy can generally be set in two ways: in high-level government strategies or policies; and though statutes that affect the local management of waste. A combination of the two mechanisms is typically found in New Zealand. High-level strategies and policies will commonly set the strategic direction for waste minimisation and management programmes at the local level.

In New Zealand, waste management is principally a local government responsibility. A number of different statutes set local government responsibilities for waste management. The Resource Management Act 1991 and the Local Government Act 1974 and 2002 give clear powers and responsibilities to local government to manage waste. Local government performs these duties very effectively and a good deal of the credit for improving waste management in New Zealand over the past decade sits squarely with the sector.

Central government provides support to local government on waste issues where central government support is appropriate. In particular, central government has developed and made available best practice guidance, technical guidelines and advice and access to grant funding. Where necessary, central government uses legislative and statutory mechanisms to deliver environmental outcomes.

This section illustrates historical and contemporary waste management policy settings and approaches. By way of an illustration of the possible future direction of waste management in New Zealand, this section concludes with a discussion of the remaining barriers to full achievement of the objectives of the New Zealand Waste Strategy.

Policies and statutes

1992 Waste Management Policy

From the early 1990s, waste management in New Zealand was guided by objectives in the Government's 1992 Waste Management Policy.

The policy emphasised the importance of waste management programmes, 'generator-pays' policies and the implementation of the '5R' hierarchy of reduction, reuse, recycling, recovery and residual management of waste materials. The policy directed the Ministry for the Environment to negotiate waste reduction targets with business sectors and encourage voluntary initiatives.

Waste policy is also influenced by the statutory policy objectives of the Resource Management Act and, more specifically, by the 1996 waste planning amendment to the Local Government Act.

Resource Management Act 1991

The Resource Management Act addresses waste management through controls on the environmental effects of waste management facilities through local policy, plans and consent procedures.

In this role, the Act exercises considerable influence over waste disposal facilities in view of the potential impacts of these facilities on the environment. The Act has helped drive improvements in the standards of landfills and waste water treatment plants as they transition from low standard to well managed facilities.

The Resource Management Act also provides for the development of national policy statements and for the setting of national environmental standards. A number of national environmental standards have been enacted that influence the management of waste in New Zealand. These are described in more detail later in this document.

Local Government Act 1974 and 2002

Part XXXI of the Local Government Act was enacted via a 1996 amendment. It requires territorial authorities to have responsibility for 'efficient and effective' waste management and the preparation of waste management plans in their localities. This enactment reflected the key objectives of the 1992 Waste Management Policy and gave them statutory backing. The 1996 amendment effectively established a framework for the systematic development of local government objectives for waste management. It also formalised the use by territorial authorities of the '5 R' waste hierarchy.

Furthermore, the Local Government Act contains provisions for each territorial authority to enact bylaws relating to their roles and responsibilities for waste management. This includes the ability to set levies to cover any costs incurred in the administration of these functions and to fund waste minimisation initiatives. The Local Government Act 2002 requires that waste management plans are completed by 30 June 2005.

Together, the Resource Management Act and the Local Government Act provide a powerful foundation for waste management in New Zealand.

Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act 1996

The Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act was enacted in 1996. It is a key part of the legislative architecture to improve the management of waste in New Zealand. The purpose of this statute is "to protect the environment, and the health and safety of people and communities by preventing or managing the adverse effects of hazardous substances and new organisms". The importance of this Act to waste management relates primarily to the formal controls it brings to the introduction of new hazardous materials and the handling and disposal of waste hazardous substances.

Other legislation

A range of statutes cover the management of the small volumes of infectious, radioactive and hazardous wastes in New Zealand. These include the Health Act 1956, the Radiation Protection Act 1965, the Agricultural Compounds and Veterinary Medicines Act 1997 and the Ozone Layer Protection Act 1996. In addition, the Building Code (issued under the Building Act) and requirements of the Health and Safety in Employment Act 1992 provide for the safe storage and management of hazardous substances. The Land Transport Act 1998, Maritime Transport Act 1994 and the Civil Aviation Act 1990 all control the transportation of dangerous goods (including categories of hazardous wastes).

All domestic legislation relating to waste management is in accordance with New Zealand's commitments under relevant international agreements (eg, the Stockholm Convention, the Waigani Convention and the 1989 Basel Convention).

Development of the New Zealand Waste Strategy

In 1999, the incoming Government made a commitment to improve standards of waste disposal, to put waste disposal on a full cost recovery basis, and to significantly reduce the waste stream. This led to a joint central and local government initiative to develop a comprehensive waste management strategy for New Zealand.

The Ministry for the Environment and Local Government New Zealand jointly launched the New Zealand Waste Strategy in March 2002. Local Government New Zealand's National Council recommended the adoption of the strategy by regional councils and territorial authorities as the basis for policies, plans and programmes affecting waste.

New Zealand Waste Strategy overview

The New Zealand Waste Strategy is a high-level, non-statutory policy statement setting a new direction for waste reduction and the improved management of all categories of waste (liquid, solid and gas). Its goals are consistent with the Government's sustainable development objectives and it is explicitly linked to the National Energy Efficiency and Conservation Strategy and to the Government's climate change policies.

The New Zealand Waste Strategy is founded on a series of guiding principals. It contains broad policies and objectives as well as 30 specific targets.

The strategy identifies a number of particular circumstances in New Zealand that add to the challenges of meeting the targets of the strategy. These include:

  • high internal transport costs
  • a small and dispersed population which means limited volumes of recovered materials and reduced economies of scale
  • distance from international markets for recovered materials and high costs
  • fluctuations in markets for recovered materials
  • relatively low cost of landfill disposal, with charges for some landfills not reflecting full disposal costs.

Several of these obstacles are associated with New Zealand's remote geographic position and small population, both of which are not open to change.

Principles of the New Zealand Waste Strategy

The principles of the New Zealand Waste Strategy are:

  • global citizenship - the effects of waste aren't confined to our own backyard. New Zealand must take responsibility for its global consequences
  • kaitiakitanga/stewardship - we're all responsible for looking after our environment. Māori believe all living things are related and that kaitiaki (stewards), are obliged to maintain the life-sustaining capacity of the environment for present and future generations
  • extended producer responsibility - those who make goods and deliver services should bear some responsibility for them and any waste they produce, throughout a product's entire life-cycle
  • full cost pricing - the environmental effects of making, distributing, using and disposing of goods and services must be properly costed and charged where they occur
  • life-cycle principle - goods should be designed, made and managed so all their environmental effects are accounted for and minimised, until the end of their lives
  • precautionary principle - lack of scientific certainty must not be used as a reason for ignoring serious environmental risk.

Targets in the New Zealand Waste Strategy

The 30 national targets in the strategy cover nine priority waste categories or management areas. They draw on the recommendations made by the Working Group on Waste Minimisation and Management, which was established to advise the Ministry for the Environment and Local Government New Zealand on the development of the strategy. The recommendations of the working group were further considered by the Ministry for the Environment and reviewed by a group of experienced local body officers before being incorporated into the strategy.

The New Zealand Waste Strategy acknowledges the limits of some information on which the targets are based. It indicates that the targets should be considered as "goal statements rather than mandatory requirements". While there are national targets covering priority waste areas, councils were encouraged to set their own targets in line with those in the strategy. However, it was recognised that it may be impractical for local targets to be the exact equivalent of the provisional national targets.

Progress towards the Waste Strategy targets was reviewed in 2004. The review noted that good progress had been made in setting local and regional targets and in adopting policies and objectives aimed at meeting these targets.

Policy objectives in the New Zealand Waste Strategy

The New Zealand Waste Strategy includes 11 objectives in four key policy areas:

Institutions and legislation policy objectives
  • Ensure a sound institutional and legislative base for implementing the New Zealand Waste Strategy that clarifies the responsibility for waste minimisation and management of central, regional and local government as well as Maori, business and community groups.
  • Achieve effective regional and local government planning for waste minimisation and management.
  • Meet international convention requirements.
Waste reduction and materials efficiency policy objectives
  • Develop and implement tools and techniques to reduce waste generation and maximise reuse, recycling and recovery by government, businesses and individuals.
  • Reduce barriers to recovered materials in New Zealand.
  • Develop and implement economic incentives to change wasteful behaviour.
Information and communications policy objectives
  • Develop and implement relevant and consistent information systems on waste minimisation and management as a basis for decision-making and monitoring of strategy implementation by central and local government and waste generators.
  • Enhance community understanding of waste generation issues and management and encourage individual efforts to reduce waste.
Performance standards and guideline policy objectives
  • Achieve consistent, high standards of environmental performance for waste treatment and disposal.
  • Institute comprehensive standards and guidelines covering minimisation, transport, storage and disposal of wastes with hazardous properties.
  • Have all waste treatment and disposal facilities account for the full cost of operation, including environmental costs and ensure charging policies reflect these costs directly and transparently.

Challenges to achieving New Zealand Waste Strategy policy objectives

The New Zealand Waste Strategy highlights a number of the challenges specific to New Zealand in the management of waste, particularly the diversion of materials through recycling and reuse of resources. In particular, our geographical isolation and low population density will continue to shape the way New Zealand manages its waste.

However, even with such obstacles there has been significant progress in the area of waste management and reduction, as we see in the Part Two.

However, a number of other matters may also potentially influence the future direction of waste management in New Zealand. These matters, listed below, may also pose significant challenges for those working to achieve the policy objectives of the New Zealand Waste Strategy:

  • Difficulty in obtaining commercially sensitive data from private sector operators to assist monitoring and inform waste management choices.
  • The complex nature of the waste industry in this country. For example, recyclables collected by a community group under contract to council may pass through several companies before final export or processing, and waste may cross district or regional boundaries before disposal at a privately or publicly operated landfill.
  • The siting of landfills and other waste management facilities is often a controversial issue.
  • The time taken to develop large landfills can be affected by siting limitations and the resource consent process.
  • Councils may exercise little direct control over waste streams because collection and disposal facilities are in the private sector.
  • Some councils with dispersed populations and a low rating base have difficulty securing sufficient resources for waste management planning.
  • Different interests may frustrate cooperation on integrated waste management planning.
  • The high cost of new or upgraded facilities can be a principle obstacle to achieving high standards of environmental performance for waste treatment and disposal facilities. The targets in the New Zealand Waste Strategy for replacing or upgrading facilities recognise that this process needs to be spread over a reasonable time period for this reason.
  • Some existing 'substandard' landfills can have long lives and upgrading is required to meet the high standards now expected. The cost of upgrading (eg, retrofitting gas collection) can be costly, but is usually a less expensive option than a new landfill.

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