Waste and Government.
New Zealand produces large quantities of waste: kitchen and garden waste, construction and demolition waste, industrial waste, old televisions, cars, batteries, paper, sanitary waste, old clothes, old furniture and so on. The amount of waste we produce is closely related to our consumption and production patterns.
Just the number of products being marketed is a huge challenge. Demographic changes, such as the increase in the number of single households, also affect the amount of waste we produce (for example, because goods are packed in smaller units).
The many types of waste and the complicated processes for processing it make it difficult to get a complete picture of the waste produced and where it remains. Poor waste management contributes to climate change and air pollution, and directly affects many ecosystems and species.
The Government is taking a leadership role in turning around New Zealand’s woeful record on waste. There is an ambitious programme which is just getting started. In the past three years we have:
- Announced plans to expand the waste landfill levy from next year, which will promote waste minimisation and recycle revenue into resource recovery.
- Banned single use plastic shopping bags, taking an estimated 1.1 billion of them out of the environment in one year alone.
- Begun designing a beverage container return scheme to increase recovery of an estimated billion single use beverage containers that end up as landfill or litter every year.
- Declared six products, including e-waste, refrigerants and plastic packaging for regulated product stewardship schemes in a drive to deal with environmentally harmful products.
- Confronted the long-term challenge of plastic waste, just last month announcing plans to phase out hard-to-recycle and more single-use plastics.
- Strategically invested tens of millions through the Waste Minimisation Fund to encourage waste projects and a decrease in waste disposal.
- Recycling is presenting us with challenges today, but there is a plan. The Government is introducing incentives to reduce household waste, standardise our kerbside recycling programmes and fast-track the building of high-tech local waste processing infrastructure.
As part of the Covid-19 Response and Recovery Fund, the Government is investing $124 million for a number of significant waste infrastructure initiatives across the country. Increasing investment in infrastructure will ensure New Zealand emerges from Covid-19 with a far better recycling and resource recovery system. At the same time, creating many new long term employment opportunities throughout the country.
This $124m from the Covid-19 Response and Recovery Fund is a massive investment in waste – about as much as the entire Waste Minimisation Fund allocation in the past decade.
It is time for us to take control of our own destiny when it comes to waste and recycling in Aotearoa.
Off The Wall Marketing plays a leading role in using sustainable and renewable products in advertising and packaging.
We evaluate organisations, businesses to implement effective solutions towards a more sustainable approach.
Andre Hendriks
021 0734711
www.offthewallmarketing.co.nz
info@offthewallmarketing.co.nz