New Zealand's dirty little problem

Reducing waste isn't just good for the environment – it's a smart way to do business too.

"Have a look at what's being dumped in the holes, and tell me we're doing well on recycling."

Green MP Nandor Tanzcos has the slightest hint of anger and frustration in his genial voice. The holes he's referring to are the dirty, messy and sometimes overflowing pits at the nation's refuse transfer stations, and if you stand next to one for an hour on an average Saturday afternoon you'll see exactly what Tanzcos is on about.

You'll see Kiwis dumping recyclable products literally by the carload, vanload, trailerload and truckload. They're the same Kiwis who are proud of our clean and green image, the kind of folk who reckon we've got one of the most beautiful countries in the world and are doing a pretty darn good job keeping it that way.

We're kidding ourselves, says Tanzcos.

"I think we're doing pretty badly, we're lagging a long way behind," says the architect of the Waste Minimisation Bill. "Of all the stuff going into landfills now, we think only 10 per cent of it is genuine residual waste."

Some would beg to differ, arguing that with widespread kerbside collection and recycling, little old New Zealand must be at the forefront of efforts to minimise waste and maximise resource re-use.

Tanzcos argues that while kerbside recycling is "a wonderful thing" because it enables large numbers of average Kiwis to recycle, it is limited to the materials which are being taken away, with many varieties of plastic missing out.

"There are some good things going on, but the bulk of places are doing very poorly," he says. He points to Raglan's innovative Xtreme Waste group as an "exceptional" example of a community taking ownership of its waste. In Timaru, you can even have your organic waste - as in food scraps - taken away by the council.

"But in most places you've got this little bin for recyclables, and this huge bin for residual waste - it should be the other way around."

In Raglan (population 3000) it's easier for waste to be managed well. But the larger the community, the greater the problem.

Tanzcos says: "It's not just domestic waste. People tend to think of household rubbish when they think of waste. The bulk of it - more than half of it - is commercial. The single biggest waste stream is construction and demolition waste. Metropolitan areas face bigger challenges because volumes are so much greater."

Tanzcos believes that if his bill is made law, it would put New Zealand near, if not on par with, Germany and The Netherlands. These are the two nations he points to as having the most effective waste management systems.

Now more than halfway through its journey to becoming law, Tanzcos' bill has been through the committee phase and is now awaiting its second reading in Parliament. Changes have been made - including amendments he was party to - but importantly, the bill's essential features remain. He notes that submissions were almost entirely in favour of the bill's aims, and in a rare turn of events, it has wide cross-party support.

Paramount to the bill is the product stewardship scheme, and the notion that companies and end users must take responsibility for how material is disposed of, says Tanzcos. He has produced a list of "priority products" which can cause significant environmental harm, or if recovered and re-used effectively, can contribute significant economic benefits.

The list could be headed with the word "nasty". It includes e-waste (old electronic goods, from computers to cellphones to old hair dryers), agrichemicals and used oil.

Already one of the public faces of e-waste collection earlier this year, Tanzcos says old computers offer plenty of reusable materials. Lead, cadmium and bits of circuitry can all be re-used if recovered cost-effectively. And with a mere 10 years worth of cadmium at our disposal, Tanzcos' arguments quickly make sense.

The bill's product stewardship scheme would see industry and stakeholders design a cost-effective way of meeting the waste minimisation targets.

"Businesses will design the best and cheapest way to do it themselves," says Tanzcos of product stewardship. "But if you sell that product, you've got to be part of some accredited scheme."

He knows of several firms already involved in such schemes, and says Fisher & Paykel is a leader. The company already takes back old whitewear, including products manufactured by its competitors. 

"Some of the very big companies are doing a lot, because they've got the capacity they can put full-time people in as environmental managers," says Tanzcos.

Smaller businesses may find it more difficult, but at least they're often located in the communities they serve, so are more aware of the immediate environmental issues.

Tanzcos also identifies what he calls the "free rider'' issue: some firms get a free ride as their competitors take responsibility for the environmental cost of their industry. His bill would put an end to that.

A $10 a tonne waste levy - a cost Tanzcos believes is "insignificant" - is another important feature of the bill, and the $30 million he believes it would generate would create a fund to be used for waste minimisation activities and initiatives. Half the fund would go to local and regional councils, while the other half would be contestable, aimed specifically at helping businesses or organisations needing assistance to get waste minimisation measures under way. New waste minimisation businesses set up under the legislation will even lead to job creation, Tanzcos argues. Council waste management plans would also be refined under the bill, and councils would be offered incentives to perform better.

"It's going to provide opportunities for more recycling, and there are a lot of great creative ideas around for recycling and material recovery," says Tanzcos. "This is going to provide more opportunities for people with those ideas."

Products like Gib board can be recycled effectively, he says. Most New Zealand-made particleboard products are environmentally friendly, and can be crushed up for composting.
The majority of cardboard and paper packaging products are already covered by the Packaging Accord 2004. Says Tanzcos, "Paper's an area where we do quite well. There are good international prices for paper - we ship recycled paper to China for them to use in their paper mills."

Glass is another material which Tanzcos says we can make more of. Supply of recyclable glass is seemingly endless, yet we've only one plant to reprocess it and, worse still, "we're importing huge amounts in from overseas". Glass is now being crushed up for use as a road compound, and being laid under grape vines to increase the amount of UV light getting to lower branches.

Oil, fast pushing past the $US120 ($NZ155) a barrel mark, is another resource Tanzcos says we should be recycling, yet we lack adequate collection services. Treated timber's another problem product: "We still don't really know what to do with it," says Tanzcos. "Tourists come here, and they're aghast at our lack of facilities for recycling products."

The Waste Minimisation Bill is the third private member's bill Tanzcos has put forward. His previous two - the Clean Slate bill and another dealing with the use of hemp - became law, albeit pushed through by Labour.

"I'm hoping this will pass as a member's bill in my name, and I'd be very happy for this to be my political legacy."

Jeff Neems is conservation and environment reporter for The Waikato Times.

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