The Government has announced a consultation on changes to the waste disposal levy. The proposals would see the rate of the levy increase to $50-$60 a tonne by 2023 for waste to class 1 landfills. The levy would also be extended to cover classes 2-4 landfills at lower rates of $10-$20 a tonne. Eunomia NZ Director Duncan Wilson was interviewed on Radio NZ’s nine to noon programme about the Governments proposed changes to the waste disposal levy.
The Ministry for the Environment has released the Situational Analysis report Eunomia wrote last year. Our work analysed the impact of China’s moves to ban scrap material imports on the New Zealand recycling industry. You can download a copy here:
The situational analysis report has also been quoted in the media:
This was part of the Government’s announcement about it’s plans to assist the recycling industry in response to the recycling market crisis. One of the key recommendations was to develop more onshore processing of recovered materials.
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:
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The Ministry for the Environment has also released our report on the impact of China National Sword in NZ.
You can download a copy of the report by clicking the button below:
DownloadIn the course of our work we talk to lots of council members, stakeholders, and members of the public. The topic of Waste to Energy comes up regularly. Waste to Energy is common in many places overseas such as UK, parts of Europe, Japan, and it is becoming more common in China and the USA. But New Zealand doesn’t have any Waste to Energy facilities that process municipal waste. In this article for Revolve magazine Dr Dominic Hogg and Duncan Wilson examine the pros and cons of burning waste to generate energy.
Click the button below to download article:
Or see the article in Revolve magazine:
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:
Eunomia Chairman Dr Dominic Hogg was interviewed on BBC World about China’s move to restrict imports of recycling. The restrictions are a wake up call for the recycling industry. While they will cause some short term pain, they also could provide an incentive to move to a system that is more sustainable. This will mean designing products and packaging so they can be reclaimed more easily, and putting in place better systems for collecting and sorting material so it is clean and has value.
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:
Waste Data Indicators are now available! If you want to compare your waste and recycling performance to what happens elsewhere you need to be sure your numbers mean the same things. That is where the new Waste Data Framework Waste Indicators come in. We have worked with WasteMINZ and Waste Not Consulting to come up with a set of indicators that you can use to present and compare waste data. The indicators are:
All the above indicators are expressed in Kg per capita per annum. For a copy of the indicators and how to calculate them click the download button.
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:
To download a copy of the updated Manifesto click the download button below:
To download a copy of the orignial Manifesto click the download button below:
Eunomia worked with Auckland Council to produce this zero waste events guide. The guide is designed for the non-waste specialist, in particular event managers. It will help you reduce the amount of waste your events produce and work towards zero waste. It also signposts to useful detail in appendices and special case studies (available from Auckland Council), so you can drill down where you need more information.
Click the button to download a copy of the main guide.
The key information is also available online through the zero waste events website. Click the link below:
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:
Download the summary report
Download the full report
Rubbish collections are considered by many to be core council business. But the market has been changing. Rethinking old ways can deliver better economic, environmental and community outcomes.
Read Duncan Wilson’s article in Local Government magazine about council versus private rubbish collections.