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New Zealand Waste Strategy 2002 - Reviewing Progress and Moving Forward

Introduction

The way we handle waste is crucial to our ability to live sustainably. Waste shows we are not using resources efficiently and can be bad for the economy, our health and the environment.

The New Zealand Waste Strategy was published in March 2002 as a long term strategy to help reduce waste, recover resources and better manage residual waste in New Zealand. It covers solid, liquid, gaseous and hazardous waste. The Ministry for the Environment prepared the strategy in partnership with Local Government New Zealand.

The strategy has three core goals:

  • lowering the social costs and risks of waste
  • reducing the damage to the environment from waste generation and disposal
  • increasing economic benefit by more efficient use of materials.

This information sheet looks at progress with implementing the New Zealand Waste Strategy and some of the Ministry for the Environment's related work programmes.

The Strategy at a Glance

The New Zealand Waste Strategy identifies principles, policies and action programmes to achieve the vision towards zero waste and a sustainable New Zealand. It is a strategy for a society that values its environment and resources, and wants to hand them on intact to its children and grandchildren. It seeks win-win solutions that meet our needs for environmental protection, social well-being and economic development.

Four strategic action programmes address:

  • institutions and legislation
  • waste reduction and materials efficiency
  • information and communication
  • standards and guidelines.

The strategy also includes 30 national targets for dealing with priority waste issues in New Zealand. These targets cover:

  • waste minimisation
  • organics
  • special wastes
  • construction and demolition wastes
  • hazardous wastes
  • organochlorines
  • trade wastes
  • waste disposal.

A Review of Targets in the New Zealand Waste Strategy was published by the Ministry for the Environment in February 2004, with the next review scheduled for the end of 2006.

Implementation

The implementation of the New Zealand Waste Strategy involves the participation of a range of stakeholders at a number of levels. Primarily it is a partnership between central and local government, but others such as industry, community groups and households all have important roles to play, for example, through their participation in recycling schemes. We all generate waste, and we can all play a part in reducing it.

Waste management planning

Waste management planning is one area that illustrates the partnership approach of the New Zealand Waste Strategy. It is also an area where local government continues to be proactive.

Under the Local Government Act 1974 and 2002, local authorities are required to promote effective and efficient waste management within their district. This promotion involves the development of a waste management plan, which must incorporate the waste hierarchy of:

  • reduction
  • reuse
  • recycling
  • recovery
  • treatment
  • residual disposal.

A number of local authorities are leading in this area and are in the process of updating their plans. Others are on track to complete their first plan by 30 June 2005. Kerb-side collection of recyclable materials is now available in the majority of our cities. Several councils have initiated policies to promote the recovery and composting of organic wastes. There has also been some uptake of the regional approach to waste management planning promoted in the strategy, for example, in the Waikato, Taranaki, West Coast and Southland regions.

A new online Waste Management Planning Resource has been developed by the Ministry in close consultation with practitioners from around New Zealand. It identifies and promotes examples of innovation and best practice in waste management planning.

The resource includes a series of case studies and topics that will change over time as new approaches are developed and adopted around New Zealand. There is also material outlining requirements under the Local Government Act 1974 and 2002 for local authorities in this area.

The Waste Management Planning Resource is available at www.mfe.govt.nz/issues/waste/waste-mgmt-planning/.

Landfills

In line with the New Zealand Waste Strategy principle of full cost pricing, landfill operators are continuing to look at changing charging policies to reflect the costs of disposal and encourage waste reduction and recycling. Existing landfills are being upgraded and others closed. Recent assessments place the number of landfills in New Zealand at less than 100 (down from 327 in 1995 and 115 in 2002). This number continues to fall.

To help with progress on waste disposal, the Ministry for the Environment has developed a suite of landfill management guidelines. This suite now includes:

  • A Guide to the Management of Closing and Closed Landfills in New Zealand
  • A Guide to Landfill Consent Conditions
  • A Guide to the Management of Cleanfills
  • The Solid Waste Analysis Protocol
  • The Landfill Full Cost Accounting Guide for New Zealand
  • The Hazardous Waste Guidelines: Landfill Waste Acceptance Criteria and Landfill Classification.

This guidance material is available from the Ministry's website at: www.mfe.govt.nz/issues/waste/landfills/

The most recent addition to this suite links landfills and hazardous waste management. Module 2 of the Hazardous Waste Guidelines: Landfill Waste Acceptance Criteria and Classification outlines a nationally consistent approach to the disposal of hazardous waste to landfills, and provides:

  • waste acceptance criteria for two classes of landfills (Class A and Class B), including concentration limits covering a greater range of contaminants than those currently specified in the US EPA Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP) list
  • a landfill classification system
  • a definition of liquid waste
  • a list of prohibited wastes
  • flowcharts clearly outlining the waste acceptance and landfill classification process
  • model resource consent conditions for Class A and Class B landfills.

In addition, a national environmental standard has been introduced that requires landfills over 1 million tonnes in design capacity to collect and destroy (or utilise) greenhouse gases. Further information is available at www.mfe.govt.nz/laws/standards/

Hazardous waste management

Another important feature of the New Zealand Waste Strategy is the reduction and safe management of hazardous wastes. A key target is that:

By December 2005, an integrated and comprehensive national hazardous waste management policy will be in place that covers reduction, transport, treatment and disposal of hazardous wastes to effectively manage risks to people and the environment.

Elements of such a policy include:

  1. The safe treatment and disposal of 'historic' hazardous wastes such as those associated with contaminated sites and unwanted agricultural chemicals.
  2. Incentives to reduce the generation of hazardous wastes and to recover and reuse materials that otherwise would be wasted.
  3. Information about the generation of hazardous wastes and their lifecycle, tracking them through to safe disposal, recovery or recycling.
  4. The safe storage and transport of hazardous wastes.
  5. The safe treatment and/or disposal of hazardous wastes.
  6. International obligations for the safe management of hazardous wastes.
  7. Clarification of the responsibilities of different parties for the reduction and safe management of hazardous wastes, including clarification of the linkages and interfaces between the relevant pieces of legislation.
  8. Mechanisms that encourage and monitor the effective implementation of policy.

Several elements of this integrated policy framework are already in place, for example, through the Hazardous Waste Guidelines: Landfill Waste Acceptance Criteria and Classification mentioned above.

Other existing guidance material covers hazardous waste identification, record keeping, and contaminated land management.

In addition to recently prepared draft classification and information protocols, a suite of contaminated land management guidelines are now in place inclduing:

  • Reporting on Contaminated Sites in New Zealand
  • Hierarchy and Application in New Zealand of Environmental Guideline Values
  • Risk Screening System
  • Site Investigation and Analysis of Soils.

Other existing components of hazardous waste policy in New Zealand include:

  • hazardous waste definition and the New Zealand Waste List (www.mfe.govt.nz/issues/waste/hazardous/)
  • hazardous substances and land transport (dangerous goods) regulations
  • The Liquid and Hazardous Waste Code of Practice (and associated moves towards contractor accreditation)
  • controls (eg, discharges) under the Resource Management Act
  • the introduction of national environmental standards covering dioxins and emissions of other toxics. These standards include:
    • bans on the burning of waste at landfills
    • bans on the open burning of oil, tyres and coated wire
    • bans on bitumen burning
    • bans on any new high temperature hazardous waste incinerators
    • a requirement for incinerators at schools and hospitals to obtain resource consent by 2006.

One area of hazardous waste policy being looked at by the Ministry for the Environment is the possible development of a system that tracks priority hazardous wastes from point of generation to final disposal. Consideration is also being given to the possible role of the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms (HSNO) Act in the management of hazardous wastes.

Product stewardshp schemes

The development of product stewardship schemes covering special wastes is another emerging area. This is in keeping with the New Zealand Waste Strategy principles of extended producer responsibility and a life-cycle approach.

Special wastes are defined in the New Zealand Waste Strategy as wastes that cause particular management and/or disposal problems and need special care. A number are also classified as hazardous wastes. Examples of special wastes include used oil, tyres, end-of-life vehicles, batteries and electronic goods. Schemes are already in place for some of these (eg, used oil), with others presently being explored.

Industry-government partnership is an important component of product stewardship. An example of this is the development of Tyre Track. Tyre Track (www.tyretrack.co.nz) is an online and freephone resource that links tyre dealers, transporters, recyclers and other end-users to track tyre disposal and maximise opportunities for beneficial reuse. Developed by the Ministry for the Environment in partnership with tyre companies and vehicle importers, Tyre Track is now administered by the Motor Trade Association.

Another example is the recently signed New Zealand Packaging Accord 2004. This accord is an agreement between players from throughout the packaging life-cycle to voluntarily improve the sustainability of packaging used in New Zealand. The Packaging Accord includes central government, local government, packaging manufacturers, recyclers, brand owners and retailers, all of whom have signed up to 'sector action plans' outlining their commitments over the next five years.

These commitments address a range of packaging issues, including:

  • improving and collecting packaging data
  • reviewing and improving new and existing packaging design
  • exploring the use of purchasing policies and supply chain management to encourage sustainable packaging
  • recovering and recycling packaging materials
  • developing markets for recycled materials
  • consumer information and involvement
  • in-house waste reduction and resource recovery.

The Packaging Accord also includes 2008 national recycling targets for the recovery of key types of packaging. These are (recovery by weight as a percentage of consumption):

  • Paper 70%
  • Aluminium 65%
  • Glass 55%
  • Steel 43%
  • Plastic 23%

Sector action plans are available from the websites of the Ministry for the Environment (www.mfe.govt.nz) and the Packaging Council of New Zealand (www.packaging.org.nz). Annual progress reports will be publicly available.

The Ministry for the Environment is also exploring the opportunity for waste electronics product stewardship schemes. Industry-led schemes already exist in New Zealand for mobile phones, and preliminary Ministry work has identified televisions and computers as potential areas for action.

Used oil, Tyre Track and the New Zealand Packaging Accord 2004 are all voluntary industry-led schemes. In some instances, this may result in business choosing to stay outside of schemes, and 'free riding' on those designed, implemented and funded by others. The Ministry for the Environment is presently exploring the development of product stewardship policy supported by legislation, in part to manage this issue of 'free riders'.

Additional initiatives

In addition, a number of other Ministry for the Environment work programmes are contributing to the implementation of the New Zealand Waste Strategy.

These include:

  • Projects to remove roadblocks to diverting organic wastes from landfill. For example, through the development of a New Zealand compost standard.
  • A construction and demolition waste reduction project, supported by a consortium of councils and industry groups, looking at tools that can be used to reduce construction and demolition waste in New Zealand.
  • The ongoing collection of waste information using the Solid Waste Analysis Protocol with local government.
  • A national recovery programme for the collection of unwanted agrichemicals in partnership with regional councils.
  • The Govt3 programme to help government agencies become more sustainable. This includes looking at in-house waste reduction measures and purchasing policies.
  • A range of projects undertaken in partnership with the New Zealand Water and Wastes Association looking at:
    • the beneficial use of biosolids
    • a model trade waste bylaw
    • the development and implementation of the Liquid and Hazardous Wastes Code of Practice
    • improving wastewater information.

Readers can receive updates on many of these programmes through SIGnals, the sustainable industry e-newsletter from the Ministry for the Environment (email signals@mfe.govt.nz to subscribe).

Want to know more?

Contact the Ministry for the Environment by phoning (04) 917 7400, emailing information@mfe.govt.nz, writing to PO Box 10362, Wellington, or see our websites: www.mfe.govt.nz or www.climatechange.govt.nz.