New Zealand is heading towards waste stewardship for a range of products, including tyres
NZ Government to Regulate Plastic Packaging, Tyres and e-waste
After what seems like a long and protracted period, New Zealand is finally getting to grips with waste legislation. This should bring to an end the chaotic scenarios we have seen over the past decade, and give business the security to invest in recycling.
The government is stepping up action to deal with environmentally harmful products – including plastic packaging, tyres and e-waste – before they become a problem.
As part of the wider plan to reduce the amount of rubbish ending up in landfills, Associate Environment Minister, Eugenie Sage, announced six products to be declared ‘priority products’ for the establishment of regulated product stewardship schemes under the Waste Minimisation Act. The products are:
- Plastic packaging
- Tyres
- Electrical and electronic products (e-waste)
- Agrichemicals and their containers
- Refrigerants
- Farm plastics.
“Regulated product stewardship helps put the responsibility for waste and what happens to products at the end of their useful life on manufacturers, importers, retailers and users, rather than on communities, councils, neighbourhoods and nature,” said Eugenie Sage.
“Old products that have reached the end of their life can be used to make something new, especially if they are designed better for reuse and recycling.
“Currently New Zealand has 15 voluntary accredited product stewardship schemes. These have had limited success in minimising waste for the target products.
“The government’s decision to require the establishment of regulated product stewardship schemes follows a public consultation in 2019, with public support for the government taking stronger action on these products.
“New Zealanders’ expectations about waste have changed. We need new approaches such as regulated product stewardship which will help reduce the environmental impacts of waste by ensuring that products and materials, currently lost to landfill or pollution, are recovered, reprocessed or re-used. This encourages new businesses and jobs,” said Eugenie Sage.
The Ministry for the Environment will work with the manufacturers and retailers of the priority products and with stakeholders to co-design product stewardship schemes and regulations that will work for them and the environment.
Tyre product stewardship is an aspect of the New Zealand First Coalition Agreement and this announcement helps fulfil that.
Eugenie Sage made the announcement at E-Waste Solution’s new e-waste and plastics processing facility in Porirua where she announced a $70,000 grant from the Ministry for the Environment’s Waste Minimisation Fund for E-Waste Services to do a feasibility study on reducing e-waste plastic going to landfill.
