NEW ZEALAND’S ACTIONS IN MANAGING MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTES

Country Profile: (Central Intelligence Agency, n.d.)

New Zealand is said to be situated in Oceania, which are the islands in the South Pacific
Ocean, and it sits at the south-east of Australia. The geographic directions of this nation are
41 00 S, 174 00 E. The populace is 4,438,393. The capital city is Wellington. The nation
covers an aggregate area range of 267,710 sq. Km which incorporates Antipodes Islands,
Auckland Islands, Bounty Islands, Campbell Island, Chatham Islands, and the Kermadec
Islands. The atmosphere is observed to be mild with sharp territorial complexities. Natural
gas, iron metal, sand, coal, timber, hydropower, gold, and limestone are the normal assets
found. At the point when managing the area utilize, 43.2% is being utilized for agribusiness
purposes, 31.4% are backwoods, and 25.4% are utilized for different purposes. The present
issues in nature are deforestation, soil disintegration, and local verdure hard-hit by obtrusive
species. The worldwide understandings identified with environment are Antarctic-
Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species,
Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone
Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, and
Whaling. The rate of urbanization is observed to be expanding 1.05% every year.

MSW Characteristics: (United States Environmental Protection Agency, n.d.)

Municipal Solid Waste (MSW)— all the more normally known as refuse or junk—comprises
of regular things we utilize and afterward discard, for example, item bundling, grass
clippings, furniture, attire, bottles, sustenance scraps, daily papers, machines, paint, and
batteries. This originates from our homes, schools, doctor's facilities, and organizations. The
types of waste and their time for degeneration are shown underneath: (Types of Solid waste,
n.d.)
(Source: Types of Solid waste, n.d.)

MSW generation statistics in New Zealand:

The household waste per capita in New Zealand is assessed to be around 560
kg/occupant/year (International Solid Waste Association 2012). Arrived at the midpoint of
over the populace, every individual sends roughly 1.1 kg for every day of private waste to
landfills every year. Industrial waste that is landfilled purportedly midpoints around 1.36 kg
for every individual every day. Therefore, it is evaluated that the aggregate MSW amount of
strong waste that is landfilled in New Zealand is 2.46 kg for each individual every day.

Landfilled Waste in New Zealand annually

Industrial
Household

(Source: Ministry for the Environment 1997)

The report says, industrial waste category is about1,762,350 tonnes (55%), while 1,419,770
tonnes (45%) of waste are residential wastes. When drawing the compositions, 39%
comprises orgainic content, 19% of paper wastes, 17% of construction wastes, 7% of plastic
residues, 6% of metal wastes, 8% of hazardous wastes, 2% of glass wastes, and 5% other
wastes (Ministry for the Environment 1997).

Waste management methods: (Ministry for the Environment 1997)

Land disposal:

Transfer to arrive incorporates private and open landfilling, clean filling, direct transfer to
arrive, and littering. As there is no legitimate definition for any of these transfer strategies, it
is hard to figure out what is incorporated under every transfer technique. The making of
sullied destinations can come about because of any of these transfer techniques if
inadequately oversaw. Key transfer strategies are quickly depicted underneath.

1.1 Landfilling

Landfilling is the most well-known technique for solid waste transfer in New Zealand. Waste
(e.g. boring mud dumps) is prone to be much higher than the amount of landfills secured by
the Landfill Census. Landfill status in New Zealand is much different while compared with
the high populace countries. The Landfill area in urban has reached its limits, and there are
lot of restrictions from the people and organisations to dispose them in rural landfills.

Direct disposal in land

Some wastes are dumped at the road sides openly due to the restrictions for landfilling. This
mainly constitutes of quarrying and mining industry residues.

1.2 Littering

Keep New Zealand Beautiful is taking care of advancing against litter crusades and
checking litter. Littering is nothing but the knowingly or unknowingly disposing the waste in
land or in water. Deserting waste at a cookout zone, tossing trash in the city, waste passing
over auto trailers, chemicals and paints are considered to be the littering issues. As a rule,
litter is viewed as a private waste.
 1.3 Polluted destinations

The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) and the Australian and
New Zealand Environment and Conservation Council (ANZECC) and takes care of this
issue. It is defined as an area that has more concentration level of wastes when compared to
other background levels and that will pose hazard to human health and surroundings.
Sometimes, the production of local industries and activities by people may induce this
problem.

Disposal to air:

2.1 Controlled incineration

Clinical and pharmaceutical waste, isolate waste, and now and again classified waste are
some of the streams where controlled incineration is utilized. Incineration lessens the volume
of waste that requires landfilling, frequently by around 66%.
The little modern heaters still working all through New Zealand, essentially at organizations,
ports and doctor's facilities are the Conventional furnaces. While, High-temperature
incinerators limits air supply accordingly to the chambers, and controls the rate of burning
of wastes inside the chamber, which in turn reduces waste discharge. A legitimately outlined
auxiliary chamber then finishes the ignition process guaranteeing that vaporous emanations
are provided innocuous. Auckland, Dunedin, Christchurch and Wellington are the places in
the country where these kind of furnaces can be found.

2.2 Open burning

2.3 Direct release into the air
Vaporous wastes like emissions from automobiles and flights are considered as direct release
into the air.
Other waste minimisation methods:

3.1 Prevention
“To strictly avoid the generation of waste, especially toxic and harmful substances (which is
qualitative prevention), material or energy consumption, including transport and the
consumption of commodities (which is quantitative prevention)” (Organisation for Economic
Co-operation and Development n.d.)
 3.2 Reduction
Lessening from a waste minimization point of view intends to diminish the measure of
materials or vitality expended.

3.3 Reuse
Reuse is a strategy for waste lessening which includes the numerous utilization of an item in
its existing structure, with or without re-handling for the same use or diverse use. Waste trade
programs set up by New Zealand chambers, for example, Auckland Regional Council and
Christchurch City Council are based on reusing.

3.4 Recycling
Reusing is the using back the residue without disposing it. Using it for other purpose different
to its first characteristics. Reusing incorporate the crushing of post-customer glass jugs to
frame new containers and the accumulation of used daily papers for the
creation of sterile items made of paper residues. Reusing of private waste is by and largely
sorted out or composed by nearby powers in New Zealand. Other organizations or clubs
additionally sort out reusing receptacles at schools and so on. Accumulation offices for
reusing of private waste extent from advanced kerbside projects to let down the focuses or
move stations in provincial towns. Organizations can likewise bring recyclable mechanical
waste to exchange stations. Numerous organizations reuse materials inside their area. Waste
temporary workers embrace the reusing of accumulated wastes.

3.5 Recovery

The recuperation of vitality substance of residues with or without pre-treatment is said to be

the energy recovery. Example: recovering methane gas from the landfills for domestic
purposes.

Recovery of waste alludes to the recuperation of materials or recuperation of vitality.

Material recuperation is using back the residues in an alternate structure. Example of material
recuperation incorporate fertilizing the soil of independently gathered natural private waste
(bio-waste) on the other hand of slop from effluent plants.
 3.6 Pre-treatment

Pre-treatment is the lessening of residues by physical, biochemical or mechanical procedures

before the dumping or stockpiling. Some dangerous waste is dealt with for safe transfer, to
decrease the toxicity, mass or amount of the residue in this country. Investigation techniques
incorporate synthetic treatment (counting balance), settling and sedimentation, filtration,
dewatering, natural, hardening and different strategies.

3.7 Export

In New Zealand various dangerous waste are sent out for treatment and/or transfer utilizing
offices not accessible. The dominant part of the waste is sent out for reusing. If the treatment
strategies aren’t working, the residues may be exported to different locations.

3.8 Storage

Storage of poisonous or dangerous wastes chiefly incorporates unused agrichemicals,

radioactive waste, and PCBs.

Institutional and Financial aspects:

Ministry for the Environment (MFE), the public service department is identified as the
New Zealand government’s principal advisor on environmental issues locally and
internationally. It is formed in 1986 and its headquarters is at Wellington. The funding has
been noticed, and it is been divided into two categories:

1. Ministry Funding,
2. Funding from other government departments (not covered in this paper. Only waste
related funds are covered)

1. Ministry Funding: (Ministry for the Environment 2015)

Community Environment Fund (CEF) is intended to help in having a beneficial outcome

to nature. The CEF stores extend that bolster organization in the middle of gatherings and
expansion group based exhortation, instructive open doors and open mindfulness on
ecological issues.
Waste Minimisation Fund (WMF) is intended to support New Zealand's execution in waste
administration. The WMF reserves waste minimisation extends that expand asset proficiency,
reuse, recuperation and reusing of waste, and lessening waste to landfill.

Contaminated Sites Remediation Fund (CSRF) gives subsidizing to territorial committees

and unitary powers to help with defiled site examinations, medicinal arranging, and
remediation of destinations that represent a danger to human wellbeing and environment.

Environmental Legal Assistant Fund gives not-to benefit bunches with budgetary help to
advocate for a natural issue of open enthusiasm at asset administration cases at the
Environment Court, and at sheets of request constituted under the 'call in' procurements of the
Resource Management Act 1991. The asset repays the expenses of legitimate direction and
master witnesses.

Te Mana o Te Wai Fund provides finances for tasks that empower to enhance the nature of
freshwater bodies (counting lakes, waterways, streams, estuaries and tidal ponds) that are of
significance to them.

The Fresh Start for Freshwater Clean-up Fund gave territorial committees and their
undertaking accomplices with monetary help to remediate water assortments of national
centrality. From 2011 to 2014 the asset apportioned $14.5 million to seven undertakings.

Challenges, issues and gaps:

It has been found that there is a gradual decrease in the number of landfills in New Zealand.
In 1995 there were 327 and 115 in 2002 with recent estimates placing the number at over
1000 (Waste in New Zealand, n.d.). A lot of sustainability issues were also found (Ministry
for the Environment 2008).

In spite of the fact that there have been impressive upgrades in access to reusing
administrations and natural controls around transfer offices, waste administration and
minimisation hones still shift around the nation and further enhancements can be made.
Research keeps on highlighting the benefit of reusing. Because of New Zealand's little and
scattered populace, gathering and transporting materials for reusing, reuse and recuperation
can be expensive. In spite of this, waste reuse, reusing and recuperation is frequently
mechanically achievable and progressively financially practical. Neighbourhood government,
organizations and groups are urged to build access to kerbside reusing, especially in urban
territories where this is financially reasonable (Ministry for the Environment 2010, p.3)

The responsibilities that are to be taken by government, waste producing industries, and
business and communities in minimising the gap is also identified (Ministry for the
Environment 2010, p.7).

Conclusion:

New Zealand waste strategy 2002 is considered to be one of the best in waste minimisation
procedures. It’s revising in 2010 has brought a sound action plan in reducing the gaps in
environmental issues and its urge to governments and waste industries to take responsibility
in waste minimisation and its energy recovery.

Since there is a reduced landfill in New Zealand for disposal of wastes, it should be
mandatory for the central and local government to implement stringent laws for maximum
utilisation in 3R principle and try to use the maximum out of waste and energy recovery, that
doesn’t harm the environment in any ways.

References:

Central Intelligence Agency n.d., The World Factbook, viewed 12 April 2016,
<https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/nz.html>

Edugreen n.d., Types of Solid Waste, viewed 12 April 2016,

<http://edugreen.teri.res.in/explore/solwaste/types.htm>

International Solid Waste Association 2012, State of the Nation Report- Landfilling Practices
and regulations in New Zealand, viewed 13 April 2016.

Ministry for the Environment 1997, National Waste Data Report, viewed 13 April 2016,
<http://www.mfe.govt.nz/publications/waste/national-waste-data-report>

Ministry for the Environment 2008, 2.Sustainability issues facing New Zealand, viewed 19
April 2016, < http://www.mfe.govt.nz/publications/about-us/2-sustainability-issues-facing-
new-zealand>
Ministry for the Environment 2010, The New Zealand Waste Strategy Reducing harm,
Improving efficiency, viewed 19 April 2016,
< https://www.mfe.govt.nz/sites/default/files/wastestrategy.pdf>

Ministry for the Environment R2015, Ministry for the Environmental funding for
environmental projects and participation, viewed 18 April 2016,
<http://www.mfe.govt.nz/more/funding/sources-funding/mfe-funding-environmental-
projects-and-participation>

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development n.d., Waste prevention, viewed 14
April 2016, < http://www.oecd.org/env/waste/wasteprevention.htm>

United States Environmental Protection Agency n.d., Municipal Solid Waste, viewed 13
April 2016, <https://www3.epa.gov/epawaste/nonhaz/municipal/>

Waste in New Zealand n.d., viewed 19 April 2016,

< https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waste_in_New_Zealand>