Building a sustainable circular economy.
The Green Party will take action to reduce waste and protect the environment from pollution.
In a truly sustainable system, nature is protected rather than treated as a dumping ground. We can build a circular economy where waste is designed out and resources are valued and reused.
Under the current Government, progress towards our zero-waste future has stalled. Action on plastic pollution has ground to a halt, and funding for solutions has dried up. Corporations continue to make products that won’t last or can’t be repaired, filling up our landfills. Communities are left to deal with the pollution and impacts.
The Green Party has shown what’s possible. In government, we banned single-use plastic bags and reduced food waste going to landfill. We increased the waste levy for the first time in over a decade and introduced mandatory product stewardship schemes. We also started work on a container return scheme.
We will build on this legacy by holding corporations accountable for the waste they create. This means both reducing waste, and requiring the recovery, recycling, reuse and redistribution of materials.
By supporting communities to lead local solutions, we will accelerate the transition to a sustainable and circular economy that allows people and nature to thrive.
Our plan
- Establish strong product policy measures, including mandatory product stewardship, a beverage container return scheme, phase-outs of problematic products and comprehensive right-to-repair.
- Direct revenue from the waste disposal levy into waste minimisation initiatives and stop diverting the local government portion to other purposes. Increase the levy to match international best practice and apply a consistent rate across all landfill classes.
- Introduce a moratorium on waste-to-energy plants and explore energy generation from biogas associated with animal and plant wastes.
- Build on proposed reforms of the Waste Minimisation Act to implement timely, binding, measurable and ambitious waste reduction targets. Ensure legislation gives effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi. Introduce comprehensive duty-of-care systems for the waste and resource recovery sector covering all waste streams, including hazardous waste.
- Make greater use of discarded soil. Divert soil from landfills, where safe and appropriate to do so.
- Prioritise local, mana whenua and community-driven solutions to resource recovery, implementation of national zero-waste strategies, and organic waste reduction, diversion and processing.