by Admin EunomiaNZ | 2 Oct 2024 | article, Disposal, Policy & Strategy, Reports, Strategy, Sustainability, Sustainable Business, Waste, Waste & Recycling
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.
by Duncan Wilson | 4 Apr 2019 | Councils, News, Policy & Strategy, Strategy, Sustainability, Sustainable Business, Waste, Waste & Recycling
Darebin City Council (DCC) in Melbourne,
Australia were the first in the world to declare a climate emergency in
December 2016.
We have been appointed to help the council to determine what practical actions they can take to meaningfully reduce the amount of carbon that they currently emit through their waste management practices. We are working with our UK office, as well as Australian engineering consultancy Irwinconsult.
As a result of the declaration, the council
has produced a Climate Emergency Plan, which outlines the objectives and
actions that DCC will take to reduce their contribution to climate change. Our
work with DCC addresses Key Direction No. 5: Consumption and Waste
Minimisation. The aim of this directive is to reduce the amount of waste to
landfill, including food waste and recycling.
Our team are working with DCC to examine the practical steps that they can take to reduce their carbon emissions from waste. This involves carrying out an assessment of the area’s current emissions, as well as evaluating the potential effectiveness of a range of options, including the potential for Energy from Waste and the use of biochar.
Since Darebin’s declaration, local
authorities across the world have taken similar action, with dozens of councils
having currently declared climate emergencies in the UK alone.
In advising the DCC, our team is drawing from its considerable track record in this area, which includes the development in 2010 of the ground-breaking Greenhouse Gas Emissions Performance Standard (EPS) for the Greater London Authority (GLA). Work for the GLA currently includes the provision of support to London boroughs to ensure that they comply with the EPS, as well as the development of progress updates on London’s performance against the standard.
You can download a presentation referring to our work here:
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by Duncan Wilson | 2 May 2018 | article, Councils, Recent, Recycling, Reports, Strategy, Waste
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:
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by Duncan Wilson | 22 Jan 2018 | Councils, News, Policy, Recent, Recycling, Strategy, Waste
Eunomia worked with the WasteMINZ TA Forum to update the Local Government Waste Manifesto that we originally helped create in 2018. Since the first Manifesto was produced there have been a range of significant changes in the sector. These include the impacts of China’s ‘National Sword’ policy, the ongoing impacts of Covid 19 and the global economic recession, and a growing awareness around the need to tackle plastic pollution.
The updated Manifesto was released on 4 August 2020. It sets out a number of additional actions for Government that will enable real reductions in waste to landfill and reduce the costs borne by councils and their communities. Together with the original 5 actions, the key elements are:
- Review the New Zealand Waste Strategy to set a clear programme for action
- Expand the Waste Disposal Levy and progressively raise the levy to reduce waste to landfill
- Officially adopt the National Waste Data Framework to enable better planning and monitoring
- Introduce a Container Deposit Scheme to lift recycling rates and reduce litter and marine pollution
- Implement mandatory or co-designed product stewardship schemes for tyres, e-waste and, agrichemicals, and farm plastics
- Invest in onshore and local infrastructure for processing recovered materials
- Standardise household rubbish and recycling collection systems
- Take action on plastics and packaging to reduce pollution and make sure all packaging used or made in NZ can be re-used or recycled
To download a copy of the updated Manifesto click the download button below:
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To download a copy of the orignial Manifesto click the download button below:
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by Duncan Wilson | 2 Jul 2017 | News, Organic, Policy, Recent, Recycling, Reports, Strategy, Sustainability, Waste
Eunomia Research & Consulting undertook research to improve understanding of the impacts of possible changes to the structure and rate of the Waste Disposal Levy.
The study, which was commissioned by a consortium of businesses and councils, showed that there are likely to be real benefits for NZ through putting in place a well-structured levy regime. The research found there would be significant benefits in terms of waste minimisation, employment, and the economy. Key features should include:
- Extending the levy to all types of fills
- A large increase in the rate of the levy
- A differential between ‘active’ waste and ‘inert’ waste
- An escalation to the target rates over time
- Increased monitoring and enforcement, and
- Targeted spending of levy income.
Download the summary report
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Download the full report
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by Duncan Wilson | 19 Apr 2013 | Reports, Strategy, Waste
These guidelines provide good practice guidance to territorial authorities (TAs) on how to use Waste Disposal Levy money received under section 31 of the Waste Minimisation Act 2008 (WMA).
These guidelines will help TAs:
• identify projects and set spending priorities that are in line with the intent of the WMA
• develop new ideas for using levy money to achieve waste minimisation
• have clear processes to identify spending priorities and approve funding
• track and accurately report on spending of levy money in a more efficient and effective way
• evaluate levy spending outcomes. The guidelines will also help the Ministry to better determine:
• waste minimisation outputs and outcomes from TA levy spending
• compliance with levy spending requirements under the WMA.
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by Duncan Wilson | 19 Oct 2009 | Recycling, Reports, Strategy, Waste
This report presents a stocktake of waste and diverted materials flows and facilities in the Auckland Region. Data and information from local government, business, and key waste and recovered material operators have been compiled to provide a quantitative analysis of waste and diverted materials in the region.
A key context is the upcoming change, from November 2010, to regional governance as one regional council and seven territorial authorities will become a single Auckland Council. This will see the amalgamation of the local authorities’ role in respect of waste into a single entity1. The Waste Minimisation Act 2008 (WMA) requires every territorial authority to complete a review of its Waste Management and Minimisation Plan (WMMP) by July 2012. Section 51 of the WMA prescribes the requirements for a Waste Assessment which must be completed before a Waste Management and Minimisation Plan is reviewed. This report provides an up-to-date summary of waste generation, movement, diversion, and disposal within the region that will potentially be of value for the Waste Assessment.
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