The Minister for the Environment’s responsibilities under the Waste Minimisation Act 2008
Under the Waste Minimisation Act 2008, the Minister for the Environment has the following powers, functions and responsibilities.
- To review the effectiveness of the waste levy in 2011 and subsequently every three years
- To determine, in consultation with the Waste Advisory Board, priority products that will be subject to mandatory product stewardship schemes
- To develop guidelines about the contents and expected effects of product stewardship schemes for priority products
- To grant government accreditation to voluntary and mandatory product stewardship schemes
- To approve funding of projects that promote or achieve waste minimisation
- To appoint a person to collect the waste levy from landfill operators
- To set performance standards for implementing waste management and minimisation plans prepared by territorial authorities and recommend, through an order in council process, that territorial authorities amend their waste management and minimisation plans
- To set the terms of reference for the Waste Advisory Board, request nominations for members and, in consultation with the Minister of Māori Affairs, appoint between four and eight members to the Board
- To seek the advice of the Waste Advisory Board on various matters including developing guidelines about product stewardship schemes
- To recommend to the Governor-General the making of various regulations relating to priority products, accredited product stewardship schemes, the operation of the waste levy and waste minimisation schemes, for example container deposit schemes and take-back services for products
- To recommend to the Governor-General the making of regulations relating to the collection of records, information and reports about waste management and minimisation, to enable, for example, statistics to be compiled, the waste levy to be accurately calculated and to monitor territorial authority spending of levy money
Last updated: 29 May 2009
