What do the political parties say about waste?

ACT

ACT Party's policy on waste

Waste Recycling – Minimisation and waste levies

There are many myths associated with "waste streams and recycling".  In all endeavours it is important to identify the real problem rather than perpetuating myths.

The composting of organic wastes can be profitable but in many instances it is dependent upon subsidies e.g., the Christchurch City Council subsidies their composting of organic waste by some $1 million per year.

Often recycling makes no economic, environmental or social sense.  For example, we used to recycle milk bottles but the costs and resources associated with their collection, transport and washing rendered that activity a very unwise practice.  Today we receive our household milk supplies in disposable plastic and cardboard containers. 

Plastic shopping bags are significantly cheaper than the alternative paper bags and the main argument against plastic bags is their alleged impact in landfills. 

Landfills are increasingly unpopular not because of the lack of suitable sites but rather the public's opposition to those sites.  On a global basis it is clear that waste to energy is the best solution from both an environmental and social perspective.  This is now the general practice in most advanced European countries.

Unfortunately in New Zealand local bodies often have a vested interest in landfills and place unreasonable obstacles in the way of high temperature incineration waste for energy solutions.

Auckland City Council has stated that it does not support high temperature incineration because it reduces the impetus for recycling.  In other words, they oppose it because it solves the problem.

Waste levies are generally not a good idea because they distort the pricing signal.  In essence, a waste levy is a market instrument, which prevents the most cost effective solution being found.  All subsidies are capitalised into prices creating distortions and waste.

Green Party

Labour Party

Labour party's policy on waste:

WASTE MINIMISATION AND MANAGEMENT

Reducing our waste and managing it better is vital to New Zealand's long-term environmental, social and economic well-being. It is a cornerstone of Labour's commitment to sustainable development.

Every year New Zealand dumps around 3.4 million tonnes of solid waste into landfills. This volume has been growing steadily. Older landfills are a threat to the environment and public health. New landfills are not wanted in any community. Our clean, green image is threatened but most of all disposal this way is an astounding waste of resources.
Accordingly, the Labour led government has:
* Produced the New Zealand Waste Strategy in partnership with Local Government New Zealand.
* Set clear targets and guidelines for the phased reduction of solid and liquid wastes.

To ensure the reduction targets are met Labour will:
* Review existing institutional and legislative arrangements for minimising and managing waste to ensure a sound basis for implementing the strategy.
* Assist councils, communities and businesses to better co-ordinate waste minimisation and management activities.
* Work with industry to develop mechanisms, possibly including product levies and deposit schemes, to remove from the waste stream materials that are hazardous, voluminous, and/or valuable.
* Develop and introduce extended producer responsibility arrangements to secure the involvement of the manufacturing sector in waste minimisation.
* Review government purchasing policy with the aim of moving towards more sustainable resource utilisation.

Labour in government, through the Ministry for the Environment, is

currently working with a number of industries in accordance with this policy - used oil, end-of-life tyres and plastics.  These products are all being addressed in one form or another under the New Zealand Waste Strategy.  The products differ from each other in some respects, but they do share some similarities.

One common feature of work on used oil, end-of-life tyres and plastics is the application of the principle of extended producer responsibility.  This principle suggests that:

Producers should take responsibility for particular products over the life time of those products, and that, the costs of disposal of those products should not fall unduly on ratepayers and taxpayers.

Under the policy, Labour's apprach in government is to fully test voluntary measures before recommending legislative solutions for these products.

Experience in overseas constituencies suggests that legislative solutions impose additional costs and they often have unintended consequences. While legislation remains an option, therefore, it is not the first choice.

Brief notes on individual products follow:

Used oil

New Zealand has had a voluntary recovery regime in place since 1996. The costs of the present regime are met by large oil companies, individual businesses and, to a lesser extent, councils.  Recovery rates have increased slowly but steadily over recent years and overall recovery rates now appear to be satisfactory by overseas standards.  There are some gaps in coverage to the general public and small businesses, however, and the Ministry is seeking to work with industry and council groups on ways of

filling those gaps.  The Ministry aims to have improved services agreed by the end of 2003, or early 2004 at the latest, so that a much needed information and education programme can also be developed before June 2004.

End-of-life tyres

Markets for end-of-life tyres are less well developed than for used oil, and tyre piles have become a serious problem in some parts of the country. The Ministry for the Environment is working to identify potential end users for tyres, assist the industry to establish a national organisation capable of managing end-of-life tyres, and reduce illegal dumping by ensuring tyre dealers use reputable transport and disposal services.   The Ministry is also commissioning work on the economic and environmental costs associated with end-of-life tyres.

Regional and local councils, motor vehicle industry groups and the Ministry of Economic Development are assisting the Ministry for the Environment, and MfE aims to have agreement on long term arrangements for managing end-of-life tyres by June 2004.

Plastic shopping bags and the NZ Packaged Goods Accord

Plastic shopping bags will be addressed as part of the NZ Packaged Goods Accord, which is currently being renegotiated.  Brandowners and retailers have been asked to set targets for the reduction in use of single-trip plastic shopping bags.

The principal parties to the proposed new Accord are the Minister for the Environment on behalf of Government and the NZ Packaging Council on behalf of the brand owners, retailers/importers and the packaging manufacturers.

Local Government New Zealand and the Recycling Operators of NZ are also parties.  Under the new Accord, sector groups such as the brand owners, retailers/importers and packaging manufacturers, are required to develop action plans for reducing the environmental impact of packaging within their industry.  The Accord will be signed after discussion and negotiation over the sector action plans.

The current draft Accord has been developed through a collaborative process.  It also reflects the view that for packaging, the brand owner or retailer/importer is the "producer".  The brand owner or retailer/importer is the entity with the greatest control over the decisions relating to materials selection and product design.

National Party

National Party's policy on waste:

• Introduce a national environmental standard for landfills, requiring all substandard landfills to be closed or upgraded by 2010.
• Legislate to outlaw subsidies for landfills and incinerators, so that the full costs of dealing with waste are faced by those who generate it.
• Support a kerbside recycling service in all towns of more than 5000 people by allowing a modest levy on municipal waste from those towns going to landfills.
• Broaden EECA's current role into an organisation that provides leadership and advice on achieving zero wastage of both energy and materials, and rename it the Zero Waste Authority.
• Ask the Ministry of Research, Science and Technology to develop a research strategy for a zero waste future.

Progressive Party

Progressive party's policy on waste:

• Press for a whole of government focus on the triple criteria (economic, social and environmental) of sustainable development, including setting standards for waste management and energy conservation.
• Further develop government's waste management strategy and efforts to reach 'zero waste'.
• Encourage or regulate for environmental labelling, deposit refund schemes and other methods to promote product durability, reparability, reuse, and recycling of consumer products.