Resource efficiency
Waste
- Waste: An overview of the Ministry’s waste work programmes, including work done under the framework set by the New Zealand Waste Strategy, the legislative framework for this work which includes the Waste Minimisation Act, why waste minimisation is important, and a list of related resources such as the re:source and SIGnals newsletters.
- Current issues: This section provides a summary of the main issues in waste minimisation including the proposal for a waste levy, how waste is measured, strategies for managing the different types of waste such as product stewardship schemes, and what the next steps will be.
- National targets for priority waste areas: The nine targets in the 2002 New Zealand Waste Strategy cover waste minimisation, special waste, organic waste, construction and demolition waste, hazardous waste, contaminated sites, organochlorines, trade wastes, and waste disposal.
- Waste data in New Zealand: Why data about waste is important, how to simplify waste data reporting, tools for collecting waste data, reporting data on specific waste issues like landfills, setting up a baseline for waste composition, and about data on waste from packaging.
- Waste campaign pilot: The ‘Reduce Your Rubbish’ pilot campaign was designed to raise awareness of New Zealand's growing waste problem and to provide householders with simple actions they could take to reduce their rubbish.
- Waste management planning resource: This is a web-based resource which identifies challenges and issues for councils in waste management planning and outlines the legal requirements.
- Special wastes: Seven specific wastes need targeted programmes to ensure their disposal is environmentally safe. These are batteries, used oil, end-of-life tyres, agrichemicals, e-waste, nappies and household lighting.
- Hazardous wastes: Tools for managing hazardous waste including the New Zealand Waste List, a working definition of hazardous waste, guidelines for the management of hazardous waste, a list of priority hazardous wastes, and WasteTrack (ew), a system for tracking liquid and hazardous waste.
- Construction and demolition waste: The Ministry is working on a number of initiatives to reduce construction and demolition waste, including raising awareness of the Resource Efficiency in Building and Related Industries (REBRI) guidelines (ew), running industry workshops and developing case studies.
- Waste water: The New Zealand Waste Strategy includes a target requiring all substandard waste water treatment plants to be upgraded, closed or replaced by December 2020. Related initiatives include developing a web-based wastewater database (ew), redrafting the Oxidation Pond Guidelines, and implementing the Liquid and Hazardous Waste Code of Practice (ew).
- Landfills: The Ministry produces guidelines for specific issues relating to landfills, submits on landfill resource consent applications, and has undertaken a review and audit of operating landfill sites throughout New Zealand.
- Waste links: A list of New Zealand organisations and councils working on waste issues, international sites with information on waste and general web links about why waste is an issue.
Sustainability
- Sustainability: This section covers the six sustainability initiatives that were announced by the government in 2007 as part of a broad cross-government work programme to lead New Zealand towards greater sustainability in our resource use and way of life. The initiatives covered households, business partnerships, eco-verification, zero waste, carbon neutral public service and government procurement.
Sustainable industry
- Sustainable industry: This section defines sustainable industry, and what discusses how the Ministry promotes and develops sustainable industry.
- Simply Sustainable: This is a web toolkit for businesses on how to be sustainable. The toolkit provides information and resources that you can browse by industry or by subject. You can also view five easy steps to sustainability and find out a definition for sustainability.
- The Ministry’s sustainable industry initiatives: An introduction to a range of sustainability initiatives for industry including Fonterra Eco-Efficiency, Greening the Screen and sustainable tourism.
- The Govt3 programme: Under the motto ‘walking the talk’, the Ministry for the Environment led and managed the Govt3 programme from 2003 to 2009 for government agencies.
Last updated: 24 August 2009
