Rubbish collection truck in Mount Albert

The management of

waste Waste (or wastes) are unwanted or unusable materials. Waste is any substance discarded after primary use, or is worthless, defective and of no use. A by-product, by contrast is a joint product of relatively minor economic value. A waste prod ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

has become more regulated to reduce associated

environmental issue Environmental issues are effects of human activity on the biophysical environment, most often of which are harmful effects that cause environmental degradation. Environmental protection is the practice of protecting the natural environment on t ...

s. According to OECD data, New Zealand is the third most wasteful country in the OECD.

History

Until recently, waste was taken to local rubbish dumps with little or no control as to where they were sited. Often the dumps were close to water ways. In recent years the location of dumps was consolidated and they are now constructed as sanitary landfills to prevent leaching of the contents into water bodies. Transfer stations, especially in cities, act as a local collection point where the waste is compacted before being transported to the nearest landfill. In 2007 the

OECD Environmental Performance Reviews The OECD Environmental Performance Reviews programme provides independent assessments of countries’ progress in achieving domestic and international environmental policy commitments. The programme has completed over 60 reviews that aim to help i ...

for waste gave the following recommendations: *develop national regulations for managing hazardous waste *expand and upgrade waste treatment and disposal facilities *increase regulatory support for recovery or recycling *clarify liability arrangements for remediation of contaminated sites

Mass

1.6 million tonnes per year is generated from the construction and demolition industry which represents 50% of total waste to landfills.

Christchurch

Waste volumes from

kerbside collection Kerbside collection or curbside collection is a service provided to households, typically in urban and suburban areas, of collecting and disposing of household waste and recyclables. It is usually accomplished by personnel using specially built ...

s was almost 40,000 tonnes but reduced after the introduction of kerbside recycling and a halving in the number of free rubbish bags. In 2009 the Council introduced 140 litre

wheelie bin A waste container, also known as a dustbin, garbage can, and trash can is a type of container that is usually made out of metal or plastic. The words "rubbish", "basket" and "bin" are more common in British English usage; "trash" and "can" a ...

s for kerbside collection after which waste volumes began to rise.

Types

Agricultural plastics

Agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people t ...

is one of the largest sectors of the economy in New Zealand and consequently a large volume of waste is produced in relation to other industries. Collection of containers that contained agricultural chemicals is carried out in some regions. The burning of

plastic waste Plastic pollution is the accumulation of plastic objects and particles (e.g. plastic bottles, bags and microbeads) in the Earth's environment that adversely affects humans, wildlife and their habitat. Plastics that act as pollutants are catego ...

was made illegal in recent years due to the release of toxic pollutants. ;Construction waste

Electronic waste

Electronic waste Electronic waste or e-waste describes discarded electrical or electronic devices. Used electronics which are destined for refurbishment, reuse, resale, salvage recycling through material recovery, or disposal are also considered e-waste. Inform ...

is an increasing part of the waste stream and the Ministry for the Environment are investigating ways of dealing with it. The annual

eDay Eday (, sco, Aidee) is one of the islands of Orkney, which are located to the north of the Scottish mainland. One of the North Isles, Eday is about from the Orkney Mainland. With an area of , it is the ninth-largest island of the archipelago. ...

, which started from a trial in 2006, is used as means of collecting electronic waste for reuse or recycling.

Food waste

The total volume of food wasted in New Zealand is not known. Research was conducted in 2014 into

food waste Food loss and waste is food that is not eaten. The causes of food waste or loss are numerous and occur throughout the food system, during production, processing, distribution, retail and food service sales, and consumption. Overall, about o ...

, generated by households, that was disposed of through curbside rubbish collections. The study found that 229,022 tonnes of food is sent to landfill by households annually. Of this approximately 50% or 122,547 tonnes is avoidable food waste. The cost of avoidable household food waste disposed of to landfill in 2014/2105 was $872 million pa. A detailed report available on the WasteMINZ website provides more information into household food waste. No research has been undertaken to date into commercial or supply chain food waste.

Waste reduction

Rubbish bins in Christchurch, New Zealand

By 1996 the New Zealand cities of

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about ...

, Waitakere, North Shore and Lower Hutt had kerbside recycling bins available. In New Plymouth,

Wanganui Whanganui (; ), also spelled Wanganui, is a city in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand. The city is located on the west coast of the North Island at the mouth of the Whanganui River, New Zealand's longest navigable waterway. Whang ...

and

Upper Hutt Upper Hutt ( mi, Te Awa Kairangi ki Uta) is a city in the Wellington Region of New Zealand and one of the four cities that constitute the Wellington metropolitan area. Geography The Upper Hutt city centre lies approximately 26 km north-e ...

recyclable material was collected if placed in suitable bags. By 2007 73% of New Zealanders had access to kerbside recycling. Kerbside collection of organic waste is carried out by the Mackenzie District CouncilOptions for Kerbside Collection of Household Organic Wastes – Appendix 1: Kerbside Kitchen Waste Collections in New Zealand [Ministry for the Environment]
/ref> and the Timaru District Council. Christchurch City Council has introduced an organic waste collection system as part of kerbside recycling. Other councils are carrying out trials.

Waste to energy incineration

Recently, there has been a rise in interest for waste-to-energy incineration, where waste is turned into energy for communities to use. However, research has found that this method could create more environmental issues, with 1.2 tonnes of CO₂ being produced for every waste tonne.

Plastic pollution Plastic pollution is the accumulation of plastic objects and particles (e.g. plastic bottles, bags and microbeads) in the Earth's environment that adversely affects humans, wildlife and their habitat. Plastics that act as pollutants are catego ...

researcher Trisia Farrelly recommends that this is a wasteful technique which "destroys valuable resources and perpetuates waste generation".

Waste legislation

New Zealand is a signatory to the ''International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution From Ships, 1973 as modified by the Protocol of 1978'', commonly known as

MARPOL The International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, 1973 as modified by the Protocol of 1978, or "MARPOL 73/78" is one of the most important international marine environmental conventions. MARPOL 73/78, MARPOL is an amalg ...

. The

Green Party A green party is a formally organized political party based on the principles of green politics, such as social justice, environmentalism and nonviolence. Greens believe that these issues are inherently related to one another as a foundation f ...

tabled a Waste Minimisation Bill in 2006. It passed into law in 2008 as the Waste Minimisation Act. The major provisions of the Act are: a levy on landfill waste, promoting

product stewardship Product stewardship is an approach to managing the environmental impacts of different products and materials and at different stages in their production, use and disposal. It acknowledges that those involved in producing, selling, using and dispos ...

schemes, some mandatory waste reporting, clarifies the role of territorial authorities with respect to waste minimisation, and sets up a Waste Advisory Board.

Waste (landfill)

The number of landfills in New Zealand is reducing. In 1995 there were 327 and 115 in 2002 with recent estimates placing the number at less than 100. Notable landfills are located at: *Redvale, Albany * Whitford, Auckland *Hampton Downs, Waikato Region – opened 2005, * Kate Valley, Canterbury * Green Island, Dunedin

References

External links

Waste page
at the Ministry for the Environment
WasteMINZ
- Waste Management Institute New Zealand {{DEFAULTSORT:New Zealand