Executive Summary

The New Zealand Waste Strategy

The New Zealand Waste Strategy (the Strategy) is the Government’s primary policy on waste. Developed in partnership with local government in 2002, the Strategy has as its vision ‘towards zero waste and a sustainable New Zealand’.

The Strategy has three goals:

• lower the costs and risks of waste to society

• reduce environmental damage from the generation and disposal of waste

• increase economic benefit by using material resources efficiently.

The Strategy contains 30 aspirational targets for improved waste management, waste minimisation and resource efficiency. These were developed to provide a framework for action and a measuring stick against which progress towards the Strategy goals can be charted. The central focus of this report is to provide information on how New Zealand is progressing towards these targets. A summary of progress is provided for each priority waste stream, followed by a detailed analysis of individual targets.

The report also briefly summarises progress since 2002 in implementing the Strategy and its goals against the backdrop of a significantly evolving waste landscape.

Progress against targets

This report shows that much of the groundwork for achieving the Strategy’s wider goals and objectives for waste management, waste minimisation and resource efficiency has been laid, but that progress against the Strategy targets has been variable.

Ten of the 30 targets have been achieved, achieved ahead of time, or have had significant progress made towards achieving them. However, the report also highlights areas where progress against the targets has been limited. Three targets have not been achieved, four targets were unable to be achieved, and progress against five targets was unable to be measured.

Eight targets have a deadline to be achieved in future, so progress towards these is considered in the report in general terms only.

Report findings

The report confirms that there have been improvements in waste management, waste minimisation and resource efficiency in New Zealand since the development of the Strategy. The establishment of comprehensive waste management and minimisation facilities and services has, however, taken time. Although territorial authorities and the waste industry have made progress in putting in place the infrastructure and services needed to drive waste minimisation, the level and type of services provided across the country remain highly variable. Further progress could be made by ensuring minimum levels of service for every community.

Recycling has become easier for the householder, with 97 per cent of New Zealanders now having access to domestic recycling facilities (either kerbside or drop-off), 73 per cent of them at the kerbside. Although access to community recycling is high, volumes of waste recycled per person vary considerably across regions. Greater effort is required to ensure existing community recycling services are better used.

Local government has made some progress in implementing recycling systems within their own buildings and reporting on council waste minimisation and management activities, although reporting is not consistent across the country. Business and industry have also made gains in better managing and minimising their waste. In response, community recycling services in many areas have been extended to businesses, with some larger companies partnering the waste industry to secure tailored collection and recycling services.

The waste and recycling industry has grown considerably since 2002, with many services now operated by the private sector. New markets are opening for materials previously disposed of to landfill. Although this is driving some new commercial activity, there are still barriers to increased resource recovery in some areas. The private sector also plays a key role in designing products and processes to minimise waste and maximise resource recovery. This is a relatively new area which we can expect to be given greater attention in the future.

Industry has made progress in implementing product stewardship schemes for packaging (paint, paper, plastic, glass, steel and aluminium) and “special wastes” such as waste oil, waste electronic and electrical equipment, farm plastics and tyres. That said, continued effort in this area is essential if these wastes are to be more comprehensively diverted from landfill. Work is also needed to address the concern of some participants in product stewardship schemes that non-participants gain cost advantages in the market-place by continuing with wasteful practices.

A policy framework is now in place to manage hazardous waste. Work has begun to implement a nationwide tracking scheme and to develop minimum storage, transport and disposal requirements for hazardous wastes, but continued effort is required to consolidate this early work to track and manage our hazardous wastes more effectively.

Likewise, ongoing effort is required to ensure New Zealand’s contaminated sites are appropriately screened and managed. A number of regional councils have started the process of identifying and screening potentially contaminated sites, but progress has been slow and varies throughout the country.

Report recommendations

The report points to several areas for further action, including the need for greater leadership by local government and central government, further work to build on existing guidelines and standards, and increased public awareness to drive greater community and householder action on waste.

The report recommends a greater focus on priority areas in the Strategy, such as organic waste (including food wastes), construction and demolition waste, and contaminated sites. There are real opportunities for increasing the diversion of commercial organic waste and construction and demolition wastes from landfill. At present, systematic diversion of these wastes is very limited.

The report also signals the urgent need for enhanced data collection and improvements in waste monitoring and reporting. Council measurement of waste disposal and recycling has improved, but it is often difficult to compare data from different areas due to the lack of standardised monitoring and reporting by territorial authorities and waste and recycling operators. To achieve an accurate picture of waste collection, disposal and recycling across New Zealand it may be necessary to introduce mandatory waste data collection and reporting.

A lack of funding is often cited as a barrier to greater waste minimisation at the local level. Enhanced funding support is one way of improving the scope of, and access to, kerbside recycling and green and food waste collections.

While confirming that the New Zealand Waste Strategy remains an appropriate framework to improve waste management and drive waste minimisation, the report recommends that some Strategy targets be revised in recognition of the many changes to the waste landscape that have occurred since 2002. Revisions to some targets are expected to improve measurement of progress against Strategy goals, add momentum to present waste management and minimisation initiatives, and ensure a more sustainable use of New Zealand’s valuable material resources. However, the report proposes that any revisions should await Government decisions on the future direction of waste policy.