New Zealand now has legislation to support Product Stewardship!
The Waste Minimisation Act is now law. Its purpose is to encourage a reduction in the amount of waste we generate and dispose of in New Zealand and lessen the environmental harm of waste. One of the key elements of the Act is the principle of product stewardship to reduce waste from products. Product stewardship is based on the idea that the polluter pays, rather than the ratepayer, the taxpayer or the environment. This new legislation now brings New Zealand in line with many other developed countries that have Product Stewardship legislation. In a nutshell the Act: • puts a levy on all waste disposed of in a landfill, initially at $10 per tonne • helps and, when necessary makes, producers, brand owners, importers, retailers, consumers and other parties take responsibility for the environmental effects of their products – from ‘cradle-to-cradle’ • allows for regulations to be made making it mandatory for territorial authorities and others (for example, landfill operators) to report on waste to improve information on waste minimisation • clarifies the roles and responsibilities of territorial authorities with respect to waste minimisation • introduces a new Waste Advisory Board to give independent advice to the Minister for the Environment on waste minimisation issues.
Businesses which already operate voluntary product stewardship schemes had asked the government for support, specifically with legislation to catch free-riders, or companies that chose not to participate in a voluntary PS scheme. The ability to do this will provide a level playing field for everyone in the industry. Voluntary schemes have already shown the ability for product stewardship approaches to address many products that have previously proved difficult and costly for consumers and councils to handle.
The ability to make regulations to support schemes will allow New Zealand to get the full potential from product stewardship schemes, and will lead to a greater number of schemes with greater results for the environment.
In a practical sense industry will be asked to design and implement their own schemes, to allow flexibility in how problems are addressed and to ensure that those who know most about a product are involved in reducing its environmental impact. The role of the government is to specify clear objectives for schemes that will result in significant improvements to the environment and to assist scheme developers to make schemes transparent, equitable and meet the needs of the community. The Act will assist and reward businesses who develop voluntary product stewardship schemes for any product, for example through accreditation. The new Waste Advisory Board has been appointed already. Click here to read more about the role of this board and its members.
For products which have wastes that cause significant harm or there are significant benefits from reducing, reusing or recycling the product, the government will consult on whether there must be a product stewardship scheme in place to cover these products. Products that must have schemes in place are known as ‘priority products’ in the Act. No products have been named in the Act as requiring schemes.
The government has now released a discussion document with the aim of gaining feedback on the proposed implementation of the Waste Minimisation Act. Click here to read the discussion document. The process for identifying and setting objectives for priority products is outlined in the Act.
A Shape NZ survey carried out in 2008 the public identifed the following products as priority waste targets in the following order:
Read more about the Shape NZ Survery results 79.35 Kb
Read the Waste Minimisation Act
Read the unamended Members Waste Minimisation Bill http://www.parliament.nz/en-NZ/PB/Legislation/Bills/c/c/e/00DBHOH_BILL7267_1-Waste-Minimisation-Solids-Bill.htm
Read the Supplementary Order Paper (SOP) which proposes amendments to the Waste Bill http://www.parliament.nz/NR/rdonlyres/C9D168D7-425F-4BD0-A1CD-EB85E03F16DF/66251/DBHOH_SOP_1049_5394.pdf
Read the governments product stewardship regulatory impact statement http://www.mfe.govt.nz/laws/ris/ris-product-stewardship.html
Efforts to establish a recycling scheme for unwanted computer equipment have hit a stumbling block, with "two or three" multinational computer manufacturers refusing to support a system under which they would pay a levy on imported computers.
Hon Trevor Mallard Minister of Environment
15 April 2008 Speech Notes
Environment Minster Trevor Mallard's speech to the New Zealand Packaging Accord One Day Seminar, The Conference Centre, AUT Tech Park.
Manufacturing companies are increasing differentiating themselves by using Life Cycle Management as a point of competitive advantage in international markets. By learning how to manage the life cycle of products more effectively, companies can realise market opportunities and simultaneously improve environmental performance.
To read more about Life Cycle Management please click here
The Life Cycle Management project is a five year programe that aims to build LCM capability among New Zealand manufacturing companies
Read more about the project, who is involved and what its aims are. lcm_leaflet_2 1.12 Mb
The truck has been developed to collect some of the estimated 10 million plastic agrichemical containers disposed every year in New Zealand.
Business leaders, community groups and local government step up to the Government’s challenge to develop a new packaging product stewardship scheme for New Zealand
Thursday, 19 June 2008, Press Release: New Zealand Government
New waste legislation will offer economic incentives and rewards to businesses and councils who do their bit for waste reduction
A US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) report on opportunities to cut greenhouse gas (ghg) emissions through improved management of materials and land notes that 37% of the country's total ghg emissions come from the provision and use of goods within the USA.
New Zealanders strongly support a levy on solid waste but they are divided on who should receive the money, according to survey results released by the Product Stewardship Foundation today.
The Product Stewardship Foundation (PSF) with New Zealand Business Council for Sustainable Development undertook a ShapeNZ survey of New Zealanders last week on Waste Levies and Product Stewardship. The survey had 2791 respondents with a margin of error of +/- 1.9%.
Businesses need to focus on how to make the most of new opportunities driven by the growing shortage of local and world natural resources. The newly elected chair of the New Zealand Business Council for Sustainable Development, Bob Field, also chair of Toyota NZ Limited, says the planet’s resources are being stretched as never before by a growing population and higher standards of living.
New Zealanders are almost evenly split over paying 10c an item extra at shops to recycle packaging.
New waste minimisation law allows for compulsory recycling schemes. Implementing one for containers is estimated to cost at least 10 cents per item, according to packaging industry research.
A new nationwide ShapeNZ survey of nearly 2,397 people shows the country is split 36% for to 34% against any new per-item tax. Some 23% are neutral and 8% are not sure.
OTTAWA — The federal government is contemplating a $35-million recycling program to keep its obsolete and unwanted computers and other gear out of the country's landfills, say newly released documents.
A draft analysis by the Public Works Department says a federal scheme is needed because some provinces lack programs to allow Ottawa to safely dispose of its used computers, fax machines and cellular phones.
"A federal program is still necessary over the next five years to ensure the end of life management of federal government IT equipment as . . . there is no guarantee as to when all provinces and the territories will have take-back programs in place," says the analysis, drafted last September.
A new advisory board has been appointed to provide advice to the Environment Minister on issues relating to waste minimisation, Environment Minister Trevor Mallard said today.
The challenge for business Organisations that understand that consumers are regarding them through a new green lens and respond to that shift will gain competitive advantage.
Read this interesting article from June 09 Managment magazine.
New Zealand Herald
MP claims full support for levy on landfill waste
5:00AM Tuesday April 08, 2008
Green MP Nandor Tanczos says he has been given unanimous support from a select committee for his Waste Minimisation Bill that includes a $10-a-tonne levy on waste going to landfills.
Media Release 27th May 2008
The Ministry for the Environment has released the Waste Minimisation in New Zealand Discussion paper
Click here to read the document
Click here to visit the MFE website
In September 2007, the government released a cabinet paper of proposed legislation for a national waste levy, product stewardship, reporting requirements on waste data and a consolidation of waste legislation in a new bill.
The Ministry for the Environment as released its new Guide to Product Stewardship for Non-priority Products in the Waste Minimisation Act 2008
The purpose of this document is to provide:
The intended audiences for this document are:
Guide to Product Stewardship for Non Priority Products
Television manufacturers have proposed a levy of about $30 on imported televisions sets to pay for the cost of recycling, and an industry agreement on how to pay for the environmentally-safe disposal of unwanted computers looks within reach.
A proposed bill in the California State Assembly would require producers of certain products and packaging to change the materials they use and develop better ways to deal with the products when they're disposed of.
The Ministry for the Environment have released the criteria for the Waste Minimisation Fund
The purpose of the Waste Minimisation Fund is to boost New Zealand’s performance in waste minimisation. There is considerable scope to reduce waste and increase the recovery of useful resources from waste. Lifting our performance in recovering economic value from waste also provides environmental, social and cultural benefits and reduces the risks of harm from waste.
This will require investment in infrastructure and systems for waste minimisation and developing educational and promotional capacity. The purpose of the fund is to provide some of the funding to ensure that this occurs.
Demand for recycled goods is down, causing a billion dollar industry to lose much of its steam. But another byproduct of the recycling industry's downturn is the creation of new opportunities.
A national approach for dealing with Australia's e-waste is closer to being realised, with the public invited to comment on proposed strategies.
PANASONIC BACKS PSA'S PLEA FOR TV RECYCLING
By Matthew Henry
SYDNEY: Panasonic today ramped up pressure on the Rudd government to implement a national recycling scheme for old TVs, calling for an industry-funded scheme to be operational within three to four years.
Panasonic’s pledge to lobby for the scheme follows a recent letter by Product Stewardship Australia on behalf of leading TV brands expressing frustration and disappointment at environment minister Peter Garrett’s inaction on the proposed scheme.
A provincial agency is recommending Ontario scrap the $5 per tire "disposal" fee charged to drivers when they get rid of their old tires, and replace it with a levy charged to manufacturers and importers that they could pass on to consumers.
Read more about the Shape NZ Survery results
