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

Part Three: Making Progress

Implementation of earlier OECD recommendations

This Part recalls recommendations made by the OECD during the 1996 Environmental Performance Review of New Zealand.

Each section heading outlines the recommendation made, and the text that follows summarises the actions taken and progress made in responding to the recommendation since the 1996 Review.

For many recommendations, the actions and progress described are also included under Part Two of this document. This is because actions taken to meet the objectives of the New Zealand Waste Strategy almost inevitably contribute to progress in meeting one or more of the recommendations of the 1996 OECD Review, and vice versa.

OECD recommendation: Develop a national waste information database, including definition and classification of different kinds of waste.

Action and progress

The information provided in the Information and communication section on page 26 covers activities relevant to this recommendation.

OECD recommendation: Increase the involvement of central government in assisting regional authorities with guidelines on waste management practices, especially regarding assessment of environmental effects.

Action and progress

The Ministry for the Environment has supported both territorial authorities and regional councils with best practice guidance on a range of waste management matters. It has done so through both the development and dissemination of formal guidelines and through direct financial support for projects (through the Sustainable Management Fund). Some of the best practice guidelines developed include:

• Landfill Guidelines, Centre for Advanced Engineering, Canterbury University, April 2000
• Hazardous Wastes Guidelines, Centre for Advanced Engineering, Canterbury University, April 2000
• Assessment of Environmental Effects, Centre for Advanced Engineering, October 2001 (based on a conference supported by the Ministry for the Environment)
• Hazards of Burning at Landfills, Ministry for the Environment, December 1997
• Guidelines for the Management and Handling of Used Oil, Ministry for the Environment, December 2000
• A Guide to the Management of Closing and Closed Landfills in New Zealand, Ministry for the Environment, May 2001
• Guide to Landfill Consent Conditions, Ministry for the Environment, May 2001
• A Guide to the Management of Cleanfills, Ministry for the Environment, January 2002
• Hazardous Wastes Guidelines, Identification and Record Keeping, Ministry for the Environment (Module 1), June 2002
• Hazardous Wastes Guidelines, Landfill Waste Acceptance Criteria and Landfill Classification (Module 2), May 2004
• Wastewater Monitoring Guidelines, New Zealand Water Environment Research Foundation, October 2002
• Sustainable Wastewater Management - A handbook for small communities, Ministry for the Environment, June 2003
• Landfill Full Cost Accounting Guide for New Zealand, Ministry for the Environment, March 2004.

These publications are actively used throughout the country.

OECD recommendation: Implement specific legislation for the control, treatment and disposal of hazardous waste; take steps to facilitate the siting of dedicated treatment facilities within the country and negotiate disposal agreements with other OECD countries, as need be.

Action and progress

The information provided in the Performance standards and guidelines section on page 32 covers activities relevant to the first part of this recommendation.

The second part of this recommendation relates to the establishment of 'dedicated treatment facilities' for hazardous waste and disposal agreements with other OECD countries. Comments below are restricted to the second element of the recommendation.

Direct intervention to facilitate the treatment of hazardous wastes has not been necessary in the New Zealand context. This is because private companies provide a number of dedicated facilities for the treatment of hazardous wastes in New Zealand. These facilities can handle a wide range of the hazardous wastes found in this country.

Some intractable wastes, such as PCBs and persistent organo-chlorine pesticides (POPS), cannot be treated or disposed of at New Zealand facilities. They are exported for treatment at appropriate facilities in other OECD counties, in particular France (see Case Study 10 on page 48). All shipments of these materials are made in accordance with the requirements of the Basel Convention.

OECD recommendation: Promote cleaner production and recycling, including waste reduction at source, creation of recycling facilities within the country or promotion of exports to other countries, by securing markets for recycled products.

Action and progress

Ministry for the Environment funding has been used to support a wide range of cleaner production projects, many of which have been supported by local councils and NGOs. Such an approach is appropriate for New Zealand given the large numbers of small and medium sized businesses that make up a significant proportion of the economy.

As detailed in the Waste reduction and materials efficiency section on page 14, the Sustainable Management Fund supported the development of the BusinessCare programme and other tools and services available to promote cleaner production and sustainable business practice among New Zealand industry.

The Ministry for the Environment also works in partnership with industry to help a range of individual businesses and industry organisations achieve cleaner production. Examples include assisting with eco-efficiency programmes for a large food sector manufacturer, addressing construction and demolition waste with a large building products manufacturer, co-developing a code of practice for handlers of liquid and hazardous waste, negotiating a voluntary accord to reduce waste with the packaging industry in New Zealand (including importers, manufacturers and retailers) and ongoing dialogue with the waste collection, disposal and recycling industries.

Voluntary arrangements are also in place with several industries to sustainably manage used oil, end-of-life tyres and packaging. Programmes are national in scale, and they operate with varying degrees of formality. The relative emphasis on reduction, reuse, recovery, recycling, and residual management varies according to the nature of the product.

Such arrangements include:

• the New Zealand Packaging Accord which aims to reduce the environmental impact of packaging. Measures taken under the Accord are likely to span prevention, reduction, and increased recycling and recovery
• the Used Oil Recovery Programme which ensures that most used oil in New Zealand is used as substitute fuel in cement kilns
• the voluntary tyre collection system (Tyre Track) which aims to ensure responsible disposal of tyres, and develop good information as a basis for further recycling initiatives
• industry-led take-back schemes for electronic waste
• development of a draft national product stewardship policy, which, if implemented, will create legislative drivers to reduce the resource intensity of products and packaging volumes, and create a market for recycled product and technologies.

Details about these initiatives are provided in the Waste reduction and materials efficiency section on page 14.

Under the Ministry for the Environment's Sustainable Industry work programme, the Government is also working directly with both government departments and industry partners to address key sustainability issues and mainstream cleaner production practices. Materials efficiency (including energy), waste reduction, and increased recycling are a feature of such programmes.

OECD recommendation: Improve landfill disposal practices by tightening disposal standards, providing for the collection and treatment of leachate and closing substandard landfills.

Action and progress

Action contributing to the implementation of this recommendation is dealt with in detail under the landfill discussion in the Performance standards and guidelines section on page 32.

OECD recommendation: Introduce disposal charges, taking account of present real and future landfill costs.

Action and progress

Action contributing to the implementation of this recommendation is dealt with in detail under the landfill discussion in the Waste reduction and materials efficiency section on page 14.

OECD recommendation: Clean up those contaminated sites that present the highest risks of contamination to waterways and aquifers.

Action and progress

Since the 1996 OECD Review, the Ministry for the Environment has strengthened its programme to work with local government, industry and other stakeholders to investigate and clean up contaminated sites.

The Government established the Contaminated Sites Remediation Fund to provide assistance with cleaning up high priority sites where no party is clearly liable. The Fund will provide NZ$6 million over three years (2003-2006) to clean up specific contaminated sites from historic pesticide manufacture and mining industries. Up to NZ$1 million per year is allocated on a contestable basis to local government for the clean up of high priority sites in their jurisdiction. To date, 23 projects for the investigation, remediation planning and clean up of contaminated sites have been part-funded by government, with the remaining contribution coming from local government, landowners and industry.