Waste Assessment Checklist:
for territorial authorities completing a waste assessment before reviewing their waste management and minimisation plans
The Waste Minimisation Act 2008 requires territorial authorities to conduct a waste assessment and review their waste management and minimisation plans by July 2012. This checklist will help territorial authorities to complete their waste assessment. The checklist supports and reinforces the Waste Management and Minimisation Planning: Guidance for Territorial Authorities document.
Introduction
The Waste Minimisation Act 2008 (the Act) requires territorial authorities (TAs) to conduct a waste assessment and review their waste management and minimisation plans (WMMP) by July 2012. The waste assessment (Section 50 and 51 of the Act) plays a key role in determining the content of a WMMP. TAs are required to conduct this assessment before reviewing their WMMP and to have regard to it in the preparation of the plan.
The purpose of the waste assessment is to provide the necessary background information on waste and diverted materials that will enable a territorial authority to determine a logical set of priorities and activities. This checklist supports and reinforces the Waste Management and Minimisation Planning: Guidance for Territorial Authorities document. In the guidance, waste assessments are covered in Section 3.4 and Appendix C has a waste assessment overview.
This checklist has been produced at the request of TAs and is designed to assist in completing a waste assessment as required by the Act. This checklist is not intended to constitute legal advice and should not be relied on as such. In the event of uncertainty about requirements under the Act, TAs should seek professional advice as required.
Before starting your assessment
Key considerations:
- Allow at least three months to carry out the waste assessment.
- Check when the long term council community plan (LTCCP) and annual plan are being prepared
– you may want to consider aligning your WMMP decision-making and consultation timelines with your LTCCP and Annual Plan cycles. - Contact your Medical Officer of Health (or equivalent) to advise of the upcoming waste assessment (as part of required consultation).
- Consider setting up a working group for the development of options.
A waste assessment includes the following sections:
- The waste situation
- Information about waste services and infrastructure provided by:
- territorial authority
- others (eg, private contractors)
- Future demand for services, infrastructure and programmes
- Statement of options
- develop options available to meet the forecasted demand of the district/city
- Statement of proposals
The waste assessment
1. The waste situation
This section should provide information about the waste situation in the TA, having regard to the information considerations below. The information should include data about:
- current and future projected waste quantities
- composition
- source and destination of waste
- diverted materials.
Information considerations
When deciding what information to include, have regard to:
- the significance of the information
- the costs of, and difficulty in, obtaining the information
- the extent of the TA’s resources
- the possibility that the TA may be directed under section 23 of the Health Act 1956 to provide the services referred to in that Act.
However, an assessment must indicate whether and, if so, to what extent, the matters referred to in (b) and (c) have impacted materially on the completeness of the assessment.
In making an assessment, the TA must:
- use its best endeavours to make a full and balanced assessment
- consult the medical officer of health.
2. Information about waste services and infrastructure
A waste assessment must contain a description of waste and waste minimisation services, and infrastructure facilities provided within the TA’s district (whether by the TA (A) or another party (B)):
| Service or infrastructure |
By territorial authority (A) |
By other (B) |
|---|---|---|
| Collection | ||
| Recycling | ||
| Recovery | ||
| Treatment | ||
| Disposal |
| Suggestions for information that could be included for each service or infrastructure type as part of the waste assessment include: | ||
|---|---|---|
| Collection |
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| Recycling |
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| Recovery |
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| Treatment |
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| Disposal |
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| Checklist – Information about waste services and infrastructure | ||
|---|---|---|
| Have you included a description of waste and waste minimisation services and infrastructure facilities provided within your district for… | Yes | No |
| collection? | ||
| recycling? | ||
| recovery? | ||
| treatment? | ||
| disposal? | ||
3. Future demand for services, infrastructure and programmes
This section must contain information about the forecast of future demands for services, infrastructure and programmes, and the activities to support the collection, recycling, recovery, treatment and disposal services within the district.
| Checklist – Future demand for services, infrastructure and programmes | ||
|---|---|---|
| Have you included… | Yes | No |
| a forecast of future demand based on the data obtained (as included here in section 1) as well as consideration of information about the existing services? | ||
| any predictions about changes in future demand and/or impacts on the forecast through TA action or other relevant policy, programme or regulation? | ||
| the TA’s consideration of the impact of economic growth (or recession) as well as population growth (or decline) in their projections of per capita waste arising? | ||
4. Statement of options
This section must contain a summary of the reasonably practicable options available to meet the forecast demands. The options review should also consider other (but not be limited to) information listed below.
Have you included (but not been limited to) information on…
- a summary of the reasonably practicable options considered?
- the economic, environmental, social and cultural costs and benefits in relation to these options?
- how each option will contribute to the goals of the New Zealand Waste Strategy?
- how the options will affect the TA’s goals or community outcomes (such as where there are goals/outcomes in a current WMMP or LTCCP)?
- how these options will affect future demand, such as issues of the capacity of the infrastructure?
| Checklist – Statement of options | ||
|---|---|---|
| Have you ensured you have included a statement of… | Yes | No |
| options available to meet the forecast demands of the district, with an assessment of the suitability of each option? | ||
| the TA’s intended role in meeting the forecast demands? | ||
5. Statement of proposals
Drawing on the preferred options and the TA’s stated role in meeting future demand, this section must include a statement of the TA’s proposals for meeting the forecast demands including proposals for new or replacement infrastructure.
TAs must also include a statement about the extent to which the proposals will:
- ensure that public health is adequately protected
- promote effective and efficient waste management and minimisation.
Note: This could consider the TA’s stated goals, objectives and targets.
TAs should also include a statement regarding the outcome of the required consultation with the medical officer of health for the district.
| Checklist – Statement of proposals | ||
|---|---|---|
| Have you included a statement… | Yes | No |
| of the TA’s proposals for meeting the forecast demands including proposals for new or replacement infrastructure? Note: This would be drawn from the preferred options and your stated role in meeting future demand. |
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| about the extent to which the proposals will ensure that public health is adequately protected? | ||
| about the extent to which the proposals will promote effective and efficient waste management and minimisation? Note: This could consider the TA’s stated goals, objectives and targets |
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