Work on waste underway

A new report out today shows that the Government is on the right track to tackle our waste problem, Associate Environment Minister Eugenie Sage says.

The Sustainable Business Network today released its report - New Zealand’s Plastic Packaging System 2018 An Initial Circular Economy Diagnosis.

“SBN’s report is an excellent addition to the public discussion and growing awareness of New Zealand’s waste challenges,” Eugenie Sage said.

“Work is already underway on a number of the recommendations the report identifies for the Government to lead on. This includes work we are doing to collect accurate data, expand the waste levy, and invest in on-shore recycling facilities. The Waste Minimisation Fund is available to support projects to deal with plastic waste including creating packaging alternatives.

“Economic Development Minister David Parker is leading work on a Government procurement programme.

“The SBN report highlights the gains from a circular economy approach. I look forward to Government and businesses working together and further constructive initiatives like the report.

“Manufacturers, retailers, the resource recovery sector, councils and consumers all have key roles to play and Government leadership is required. We need a fundamentally different approach where we design waste out of our economic system by adopting a circular economy approach.

“This includes designing products for a long life and which are also easily able to be repaired and renewed, or designing them to be easily ‘unmade’ at the end of their life and their materials recovered and either made into something new, or returned to nature.

“We need manufacturers to be doing much more, faster and manufacturers, retailers and consumers to drive change up the supply chain.

“Earlier this year I announced a work programme to tackle our wider waste issues, which includes expanding the waste disposal levy to all landfills, improving our national data on waste and resource recovery, investing more strategically in infrastructure and innovation to support resource recovery and onshore processing of recovered materials. The Ministry for the Environment is developing a circular economy strategy identifying sectors to target investment.”

Previous PR on waste work programme: PR

Action

Protect Nature

Volunteer

The Greens are proud to be driven by passionate people like you. Today we need your help to take action on the biggest issues facing Aotearoa. Volu...

Action

Save Auckland's Climate Budget

Sign the petition to stop Mayor Wayne Brown's proposal for dangerous cuts to climate and environmental programmes that protect us from extreme weat...

Action

No New Mines 2023

Action

Expand Voting

Now more than ever, young people in Aotearoa are impacted by Government decisions, and they deserve to have a say. We are calling on all Members of...

Action

End Intensive Winter Grazing

Sign the petition to Labour Ministers, to move faster in bringing regulations into force and end intensive winter grazing.

Action

Trains for Climate

Add your name to our open letter urging the Minister for Finance Grant Robertson to save our passenger trains between Wellington, the Wairarapa and...

Action

Healthy Oceans 2022

Join our Healthy Oceans Crew to help us keep the health and protection of our oceans high on the Labour Government’s political agenda.

Action

It's time: A Ministry for Rainbow Communities

Join our call asking the Prime Minister to establish a Ministry for Rainbow Communities that can champion Rainbow issues.

Action

No new mines on conservation land

Sign the open letter asking Labour Ministers to stick to their promise of banning new mining projects on conservation land.

Action

Allow community ownership of our buses

Public transport is an essential service and helps to tackle the climate crisis by reducing our carbon emissions. But there are barriers to communi...

Action

Local Events

We have activists across Aotearoa / New Zealand who are working hard to build a brighter future for our kids and grandkids. This page lists upcomin...

Latest Environment Announcements

Story

Scrapping Significant Natural Areas shows significant neglect

The Government adding Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) to its already roaring environmental policy bonfire is an assault on the future of wildlife ...

Say hello to NZ’s most anti-environment government in decades

The Government is giving big industry a free pass to bulldoze New Zealand’s precious native wildlife.

Govt trashing nature for its industry mates

The Government’s repeal of the Natural and Built Environment Act is rushed, ideologically motivated, and will be hugely damaging to the health of o...

Green Party calls for stronger action by Auckland Council to protect urban trees and native forest

The Green Party is calling on Auckland Council to do more to protect urban trees and housing developer Aedifice Property Group to restore and repla...

You wood not believe it: Greens secure win for urban trees

The Green Party’s advocacy has secured an amendment to the Natural and Built Environment Bill at a crucial stage of the Parliamentary process to en...

Forestry sector must compensate for slash damage

The Green Party welcomes today’s release of the report of the Ministerial Inquiry into slash and sediment, and are clear that the forestry industry...

Story

Opportunity to build a more sustainable economy

Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumer...

Greens welcome waste strategy release and work

The Green Party is today welcoming the release of the Government’s waste strategy, but says it has a big gap without action on the container return...

Container return scheme will benefit recycling and the oceans

The work Green Ministers did last term is continuing to make a difference, with the announcement today that the Government is planning to introduce...

Waste strategy needs to learn from nature

Anything less than a transformational national waste strategy and waste legislation will not be enough, the Green Party said today.

Greens welcome progress on hard to recycle and single use plastics, but more needs to be done

The Green Party welcomes progress on the phase-out of some hard to recycle plastics and some single-use plastics, but says more must be done.

More action on waste – Government funds recycling infrastructure, moves to standardise kerbside collections

$36.7m Government investment in high-tech recycling plants nationwide Plan to standardise and improve the nation’s kerbside collections As part o...