Government incentives

The Ministry for the Environment began looking at economic incentives to improve recycling in 2002. At the time, taxes and levies on waste were being imposed by other countries. But the ministry opted for voluntary recycling.

In 2006, the previous Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment released a critical report on the waste-minimisation policies of the ministry. The Commissioner said the New Zealand Waste Strategy had identified taxes and levies as a way of reducing waste. "But the ministry has failed to pursue these. The strategy was cooperatively developed, so this failure undermines the whole process of democratic engagement with government."

Late last year, the government released a set of proposals (see below). One of these is a national waste levy on materials that go to landfills. The proposals are tied to new legislation - the Green Party's Waste Minimisation (Solids) Bill. There may be amendments to the draft Bill before Parliament votes on it this year.

Carrots and sticks

Some of the Government's main proposals to reduce waste include:

• Solid-waste levy: To be set at $10 per tonne, this will help persuade people and organisations not to dump discards that could be recycled.
  
  
• Better public recycling facilities: The government has allocated $4.6 million over a three-year period to establish a public recycling programme - including 600 new public recycling bins.
  
  
• Product stewardship schemes: Product stewardship schemes make manufacturers, retailers and consumers responsible for the waste created by their products. The ministry plans to make product stewardship schemes compulsory for harmful waste (like used oil) first.
  
  
• Data: Accurate information is essential for assessing the success (or failure) of waste-reduction policies. The ministry wants greater access to public and private statistics on waste.
  
  
• Governance: The ministry will administer the national waste levy, manage product stewardship schemes, and decide what materials and products should be banned from disposal in landfills. A new waste advisory board will advise the ministry.

Mapping a new direction

The government's waste-minimisation proposals are a new direction for the way we handle waste - and many organisations have made submissions to the Select Committee considering the Bill.

Submissions closely reflect the interests of individual organisations. For example, the Packaging Council isn't convinced that the waste levy or mandatory product stewardship schemes are necessary. The Council favours voluntary initiatives because they're less burdensome on manufacturers and retailers.

Zero Waste (an environmental organisation) supports the proposals but thinks they need to be stronger. CEO Jo Knight wants the waste levy to be increased over time, until it reaches a level where people find it more attractive to divert waste from landfills. Knight also hopes the new waste authority will be independent of the ministry (on similar lines to the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority).

All the organisations we spoke to support the intent of the proposals - New Zealand needs to do more to reduce waste - but opinions differed on how best to achieve that goal.