In May 2025, Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment (PCE) published the research note ‘Resource use and waste generation in Aotearoa New Zealand: filling (some) gaps’ to contribute to the investigation they’re carrying out on the impacts economic production and consumption impart on the environment. The investigation seeks to gather information about whether continued population and economic growth can be sustainable with finite natural resources and absorptive capacity for waste and pollutants. The research note summarises five pieces of external research commissioned by PCE to fill in data gaps identified in their literature review that centred around resource use and waste generation in New Zealand.
One of the external research pieces, ‘The plastic content of manufactured imports’ was undertaken by Eunomia Research & Consulting alongside Whirika Consulting. This research focussed on quantifying New Zealand’s plastic problem and mapping the flows of plastic. Two key findings identified in the research note are outlined below: Key finding #1: There is far more plastic in complex products than in packaging. Key finding #2: The largest components of New Zealand’s plastic use – vehicles and textiles – are also key sources of microplastics.
Click here to find out more about PCE’s investigation into resource use and waste generation, and to read a summary of our report on page 48.
“Measuring the amount and types of plastic we use and discard is a prerequisite for appropriate management and monitoring – it is a vital step in allowing us to make evidence-informed decisions around where we direct resources to improve our use and management of plastic, and to track their effectiveness.” – Professor Dame Juliet Gerrard (previous Prime Minister’s Chief Science Advisor)
Consultant Anita Lewis presented a webinar hosted by WasteMINZ on the 9th October 2024. Titled ‘Invisible Waste: Unveiling Microplastic Pollution’, Anita discusses the pervasive issue of microplastics. Focusing on its sources, environmental impacts, and the role of the waste management sector in mitigation and management.
Anita highlights the significant contribution of microplastics from textiles, the far-reaching consequences for ecosystems and human health, and the ability of microplastics to spread across the globe, including remote locations like Antarctica.
Anita discusses solutions including improving wastewater treatment technologies, policy changes, and shifting to the circular economy for textiles and plastics in particular. Other ways to reduce microplastic pollution include increasing industry accountability and public awareness.
The Ministry for the Environment commissioned Eunomia to produce a report about recycling rates that would assist them to determine how to calculate national recycling rates for Aotearoa New Zealand. Six metrics were put forward for the Ministry’s refinement and future use, including sets that are comparable to existing Australian, OECD, and EU metrics.
Typically national waste metrics include recycling rates presented as percentages of waste recovered compared to total waste generated, and per capita metrics for total waste generated presented as kilograms of municipal waste per person per annum. Although these calculations appear to be straightforward there are many variables including waste streams, activity sources, and destination types that could be included or excluded from the definition of municipal waste and therefore the calculation of the recycling rate. It is also important to consider what information is available and what may need to be estimated.
The report begins with a review of metrics from jurisdictions within Australia, European Union, United Kingdom, United States, as well as for the OECD and PacWaste Plus programme to analyse existing approaches and determine useful methods or lessons that could be adopted or adapted for New Zealand. The international review found that the data obtained appears to be incomplete or inconsistent, relying on significant data manipulation and estimates. Although all jurisdictions reported on “municipal solid waste”, the definition and scope varies between them. The report also reflected that this metric overlooks non-municipal waste streams that generate a significant amount of waste (e.g. construction and demolition and industrial waste) that could have a greater potential for diversion and/or reduction.
Next, the report reviewed the availability and quality of datasets from government, research, industry, and product stewardship sources that could be called upon to generate national recycling rate metrics. The analysis found that data should be improved overtime for accurate recycling rate metric calculations, and that there is a lack of on-going data for material recovery.
The report brings together learnings from the international metrics review and the national dataset review to explore metrics that could be used in New Zealand. This involved generating a dataset of the best available data to use alongside a recycling rate model to calculate metrics. The six rates that were generated for the report differed by what material streams and/or facilities were included, in order to produce metrics that were comparable to existing Australian, OECD, and EU metrics.
WasteMINZ have recently published the Organic Waste Collection and Processing Guidance for Local Authorities that was produced by Eunomia with support from Waste Not Consulting and Sunshine Yates Consulting, with funding and support from the WasteMINZ Territorial Authority Officers (TAO) forum.
The guide takes a deep dive into what makes a kerbside organics service successful, providing evidence from local and international case studies of high-performing services, to help councils determine how to design and run a service that best serves their unique communities.
The guide provides a step-by-step framework all the way from planning to operating a kerbside organics service. It takes the user through the journey from understanding the needs of their region and communities, collection and processing options, how to procure the different aspects of the service, and how to implement and monitor the service for on-going success.
In September 2024 Eunomia produced a report for Waikato Regional and Tauranga City Councils that seeks to understand what place waste to energy has in Aotearoa.
The report presents outcomes on key waste to energy technologies and their potential application in New Zealand, and Waikato and Tauranga specifically. The study compares greenhouse gas emissions of four scenarios where three use WtE technologies and one uses landfill as the status quo.
In February 2024 Eunomia, alongside Whetū Consulting Group and Massey University, published a report for the Ministry for the Environment with recommendations to reduce contaminants in organic waste. The report provides 35 holistic recommendations to improve the quality of organic waste at both household and industry levels.
The report aims to understand and address challenges posed by contaminants in organic waste material streams. Contaminants in organic material pose risks to soil, human, and animal health and limit the end markets for processed organic material.
For further information contact info@eunomia.co.nz
Eunomia undertook a comprehensive review of New Zealand’s waste and resource recovery infrastructure in 2020-21. The summary report for the project is now publicly available and can be downloaded here.
The project covered three phases:
1. Stocktake of existing facilities and services. The study gathered information and data on the number and types of facilities and services as well as the types and quantities of material they handled. While much of the information provided was commercially sensitive, the summary report provides an aggregated view of 10 key resource streams as well as Class 1 landfills and energy recovery. Note that the data is a snapshot in time.
2. Identifying and prioritising infrastructure gaps. This phase of the project was conducted with input from an Infrastructure Working Group (IWG) which comprised 18 subject matter experts representing a cross section of the industry as well as central government. Gaps and options were further tested through the input of a series of technical reference groups for each material stream.
3. Applying a strategic lens. This phase synthesises many of the ideas that emerged through the work into a strategic framework. It proposes the concept of a ‘circular resource network’. In this network the resource recovery system is consciously designed to facilitate the circular flow of materials through the economy, by ‘completing the circle’.
Duncan Wilson presented at the WasteMINZ conference in October 2019 about how tackling waste can have a bigger carbon impact than you might think.
Officially waste accounts for 5% of NZ’s greenhouse gas emissions. But, by recycling and reducing consumption of products and materials, we can have an impact way beyond that 5%.
Click the button below to download a copy of the presentation.
Ever wondered where the rubber on your tyres goes when it wears off? Eunomia Senior Consultant Dr Chiarina Darrah took part in a panel discussion on the problem of microplastics from tyre wear at this year’s Fully Charged Live.
The festival of clean energy technologies and electric vehicles took place over 7th–9th June at Silverstone, UK. Fully Charged is a YouTube channel exploring electric vehicles and renewable energy, hosted by writer, broadcaster and actor Robert Llewellyn and Jonny Smith.
Chiarina appeared on Sunday 9th in a session titled ‘What you need to know about particulate & tyre pollution’. She drew on our work on emissions of microplastics into the environment to discuss the scale of the problem, potential policy solutions and what consumers can do to help. The panel was chaired by physicist, oceanographer and broadcaster Helen Czerski, and also featured Richard Lofthouse of Emissions Analytics, independent specialists for the measurement of real-world emissions, and G Erlendsson of Enso Tyres, a manufacturer of sustainable tyres for electric vehicles.
Director Duncan Wilson presented on the Impact of China National Sword at this year’s WasteMINZ conference in Christchurch. The analysis concluded that, while the impact has been major so far, we are probably still only at the beginning of the changes that we will see. Recent data highlights the fact that New Zealand’s relies heavily on a small number of countries to take our material. If these countries further restrict the material they accept it could lead to real issues for what we do with our recyclables. A range of actions are likely to be necessary to secure the future of the industry.
To view the presentation click the download button below:
The discussion document Rebooting Recycling – What can Aotearoa do? has been released by WasteMINZ. Eunomia worked with WasteMINZ and the recycling industry to develop the document.
Overview:
The collapse in international recycling markets has left the recycling sector in New Zealand in a vulnerable position. Without positive action to address the issue, recyclable material could be sent to landfill, councils and communities will suffer financially, and operators could go out of business. Action from the Government is needed. There are some things that need to happen immediately, including:
– enabling access to funding,
– facilitating national communications, and
– obtaining better data on recyclable materials.
There are also some things that will take longer, but that will help build a more robust system and deliver a more circular economy. These actions include:
– revising the national waste strategy,
– changes to the waste disposal levy,
– product stewardship and design,
– ongoing communications, and
– positive public procurement of recycled products.
While there is a lot to do, everything that has been set out in this discussion paper can be achieved using existing funding sources and legislation. The sector is engaged and willing to work positively with the Government to ensure our sector is thriving.
Finally, this crisis also represents an opportunity, the opportunity to build a new system that can deliver better outcomes for our communities, our environment, and our economy. Together we can reboot recycling and create a circular economy for Aotearoa.
To download a copy of the discussion document click the button below:
In this article from Revolve magazine Duncan Wilson looks at the past and future of waste planning in New Zealand.
The way we manage waste has evolved significantly over the last 30 years. Unfortunately not a lot of credit for that can go to our waste planning. If we are going to meet the challenges of the next 30 years we are going to need to think differently. We are going to need to do things differently. Our waste plans need to be about more than just when and what bins get collected. They need to be about how we make our communities better.
To download the article click the download button below:
