Recycling in Public Places Initiative
The Recycling in Public Places initiative is a partnership between central and local government to establish a network of easily recognisable LoveNZ recycling bins in high-foot traffic and key tourist locations across New Zealand.
The initiative has now closed for further funding as it is no longer a government priority.
The initiative has produced significant gains for New Zealand:
- It has made a significant contribution to increasing awareness of the need to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill, and highlighting recycling as a way to help achieve this goal.
- It appears to have met the expectations of tourists, who like to know they can recycle their waste and that New Zealand takes this seriously. A user survey to be conducted in April 2009 will provide further data on this.
- The success of the brand has led to its expansion by the private sector, with a number of tourism businesses using the brand at their own cost to provide LoveNZ recycling facilities to their customers.
The work will continue:
- The Ministry is fulfilling its contractual obligations to councils already in the scheme. By July 2009 around 537 bins will be in place around major cities and tourist destinations.
- Some councils have indicated that they will continue to service the LoveNZ bins even if funding stops. This is due to the success of the project.
- Councils will have more in-depth knowledge as to how to set up and run public space recycling when the evaluation data (from material audits, the user survey and a case study) becomes available.
- Organisations interested in using the LoveNZ – Recycle with care brand on existing recycling bins are still able to enter into an agreement to do so. Please contact the Ministry for the Environment at the email address below.
- Options are being explored for other methods of funding the LoveNZ bins beyond 2009.
The Government remains committed to the goal of reducing the amount of waste going to landfill. This is the purpose of the Waste Minimisation Act, which will be in place by July 2009.
For queries, please email lovenz@mfe.govt.nz
Last updated: 11 March 2009
