Ensuring We Know What We're Wasting

Rotorua

Good morning, and thank you for the invitation to speak to you today.

Being the generation-xer that I am, I have grown up with the sense that caring for the environment is a priority.

So, I have to declare my hand: it's green. Much of my ``greenness'' came, of course, from the wave of ``it's cool to be green''. So I was pretty pleased when I was told that I had been appointed Associate Minister for the Environment.

Many expected the early environmental lobby to be just another fashionable band wagon, a short lived fad allowing young people to vent some steam.

That wasn't the case. The environmental lobby rightly have a powerful voice, and I commend them for their work.

When it comes to Government spending, social spending is always the number one priority. It seems we are lucky if environmental initiatives get a bean.

In some ways this is understandable, as we have a responsibility to ensure suitable social programmes are delivered. But we need to ensure that the Government, industry, communities and individuals are improving the environment as best they can, because ultimately, the environment is our bread and butter.

Obviously we need to keep all things in perspective, we can't just spend money and pay lip service to the environment, we need to ensure that what we are doing is effective and responsible. Responsible to the environment, business, government and the community.

The Coalition Agreement has set down some substantial steps that the Government will be taking during the next three years. The areas of specific interest to you would include:

the development of "State of the Environment" reporting and the statutory disclosure of environmental impact by companies;

the development of national standards and guidelines for landfills and solid waste disposal;

a commitment to work with waste producers to reduce waste at source; and

encouraging reuse and recycling.
The fact that we are encouraging reuse and recycling is quite important. We didn't make any commitment to certain levels or criteria that we would meet. This was primarily for two reasons.

Firstly, recycling is the responsibility of local government, so we must encourage local councils to further their recycling abilities and for them to encourage people to recycle their waste.

Secondly, environmental education plays an important role. We have to ensure that the public and industry is aware of the benefit and possibilities that exist in recycling, reuse and producing their products using environmentally friendly material. There is no point in having recycling facilities available if people aren't using them. Likewise, there has to be a market for the end product.

Business and industry have a responsibility to the environment, and the new Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, Morgan Williams, recognises this. He said that "most of society's needs and wants are actually delivered by the commercial sector in western economies, leaving aside perhaps education and health. Therefore, ultimately, the environmental qualities of a nation mostly rest with the business community".

United States consumer surveys have revealed that most people believe that fast food packaging accounts for more than 20% of the volume of landfill sites, with polystyrene foam representing more than 30% and disposable nappies more than 25%.

The real figures, according to an expert study, are 0.25% fast food packaging, 0.9% polystyrene foam and 0.8% baby nappies.

The author of this study said that almost 50% of landfill sites consist of newspaper and other paper products, such as magazines and junk mail which decompose very slowly.

From surveys such as these one thing is clear: The public is concerned about the environment but that's where clarity ends. So much of the debate comes down to perceptions rather than realities - a bit like politics really!

This is why we really need to have good data to support us in our efforts to deal with environmental problems. There is nothing more infuriating than an argument based on false or poor data. It gets nowhere and prevents us from being able to measure the effectiveness of policies and practices anyway.

Shortly I will be officially launching the Waste Data Report. The Waste Data report complements the cleaner production and waste minimisation work the Ministry for the Environment is currently doing.

The Waste Data Report is a major step forward in our understanding of waste generation and disposal in New Zealand. It is the first report to present quantitative waste data.

The purpose of the National Waste Data Report is to gather and summarise all reliable data on waste. The report is not for government alone, but organisations with an interest in waste management, local councils, industry, environmental groups and the public.

It provides a first snapshot of where we are at and identifies the areas in which there is inadequate data. The Government is committed to continuing this process and repeating the national report every five years.

The Ministry for the Environment will be providing advice on the implications of this new information, and whether our current waste policies are dealing effectively with our needs.

We now have a system that will help identify gaps in our waste management process. I would hope that the report will help to provide a benchmark upon which we can measure our progress in dealing with waste.

It has not been possible to gather all the necessary information on waste. The Ministry for the Environment will continue to collect new data, and we are encouraging people to send in any new data that they might have.

The trouble with data is how to present it in a meaningful way. Where possible we chose not to look at how waste is disposed but rather at when, where and by whom the waste is generated. If you are looking at solutions for waste issues these are far more meaningful issues. We want people to use this report to design solutions to the problems of waste not just to look at how to treat waste. When you look at the source of waste you cover all disposal options.

We need better information on what is recycled and where. This will allow us to look more carefully at how we can better encourage that component of the waste hierarchy.

The report shows that we are not reducing the amount of waste we generate. I'd like to run through some of the information contained in the report.

Landfilled waste In 1995 residential waste accounted for 45% of landfill and industrial waste accounted for 55%

This is actually pretty good compared to other countries, with New Zealand residential waste (an average of 401kg per household) being 20% less than average of OECD countries

Waste was composed into 8 categories:

organic accounted for: 36%
paper accounted for: 19%
construction and demolition accounted for: 17%
potentially hazardous accounted for: 8%
plastic accounted for: 7%
metal accounted for: 6%
glass accounted for: 2%
Interestingly, although most letters I receive complain about excess packaging this was estimated to only be occupying between 10-14% of space in landfilled waste.

Between 1986 and 1996 identified litter has fallen by approximately 40%, but paper and plastic still account for the highest percentage of litter found. Litter only comprises a small fraction of the solid waste stream, but it is the most visible and widely dispersed fraction, with considerable nuisance value. It certainly doesn't help us maintain our "clean and green" image.

OUTCOMES: SOLID WASTE RECYCLING

The report tried to get a picture of what was being recycled. Information in this area was among the most scarce, with most information coming from work done by the Packaging Industry Advisory Council during development of the packaging accord.

To make better decisions about recycling policy we will need to have better information. The Ministry is looking this year at how this information can be gathered as part of the review of the Waste Analysis Protocol, and I hope that we can count on your assistance in gathering more substantial recycling data.

Population covered The Packaging Industry and Advisory Council estimated that:

80% of New Zealanders have access to paper, aluminium and glass recycling
50% of New Zealanders have access to steel and organic waste recycling
Quantities collected

The fact that recycling data is still unreliable is proven by the Packaging Industry Councils claim that 65% of recyclable material is being recycled, whereas Wellington City Council claims that only 8% of recyclable material is being recycled. Clearly, there is still much to do. Wellington City Council also found that quantities of recyclable materials collected are increasing.
There are many problems with information gathering;

Councils' curbside recycling contracts do not always require contractors to provide them with quantities and composition of materials collected
Private contractors are not legally obliged to provide information on quantities and composition of materials collected
Businesses are not legally obliged to provide data on quantities of waste disposed or recycled
WHERE FROM HERE

Recycling is the domain of local Councils. But environmental issues do require Central Government to give a steer and help keep the momentum up. The 1992 Waste Policy has as a key component the encouragement of the use of a waste hierarchy. Recycling is the third level of this hierarchy so current work by the Ministry for the Environment is focused on reduction, and this is demonstrated by the Packaging Accord.

While recycling can be seen as an issue that requires some analysis and attention, current information shows that there are a number of other pressing problems that we must deal with also. The Waste Data Report shows that the hazardous waste and trade waste areas must be a priority.

During the next year the Ministry for the Environment will be working on several key areas:

The possible introduction of environmental business reporting
Organochlorines programme
Dealing with contaminated sites
Pollution Prevention
Environmental standards
The work being done as part of the Packaging Accord will continue. As you will be aware one of the initiatives under the Accord is to look further at recycling. This will need input from others, including local government and your industry.

Work is currently underway looking at barriers to recycling. The project will allow us to look at issues such as how to encourage use of recycled materials. I'm sure that this will be of interest to you, and I look forward to working with you on this project.

The World Bank said recently that it recognised the respective roles that government and industries must play. Their report highlighted five functions that governments, rather than markets and private bodies, must provide. They were: a basic legal framework, an effective macro-economic environment, investment in basic social services and infrastructure, a comprehensive safety net for vulnerable members of society and basic environmental protection.

Contrary to past thinking, the World Bank argued that governments cannot create growth, but must provide the right framework to create the confidence necessary for successful markets.

Similarly for the environment, especially in areas like recycling, the Government cannot provide the complete solution, only a framework.

If we are to look at improving the environment we must all play our part and work co-operatively towards ensuring that New Zealand can maintain it's "clean and green" image. And, without a doubt, the Recycling Operators of New Zealand have a big part to play.

ENDS
Rotorua

Good morning, and thank you for the invitation to speak to you today.

Being the generation-xer that I am, I have grown up with the sense that caring for the environment is a priority.

So, I have to declare my hand: it's green. Much of my ``greenness'' came, of course, from the wave of ``it's cool to be green''. So I was pretty pleased when I was told that I had been appointed Associate Minister for the Environment.

Many expected the early environmental lobby to be just another fashionable band wagon, a short lived fad allowing young people to vent some steam.

That wasn't the case. The environmental lobby rightly have a powerful voice, and I commend them for their work.

When it comes to Government spending, social spending is always the number one priority. It seems we are lucky if environmental initiatives get a bean.

In some ways this is understandable, as we have a responsibility to ensure suitable social programmes are delivered. But we need to ensure that the Government, industry, communities and individuals are improving the environment as best they can, because ultimately, the environment is our bread and butter.

Obviously we need to keep all things in perspective, we can't just spend money and pay lip service to the environment, we need to ensure that what we are doing is effective and responsible. Responsible to the environment, business, government and the community.

The Coalition Agreement has set down some substantial steps that the Government will be taking during the next three years. The areas of specific interest to you would include:

the development of "State of the Environment" reporting and the statutory disclosure of environmental impact by companies;

the development of national standards and guidelines for landfills and solid waste disposal;

a commitment to work with waste producers to reduce waste at source; and

encouraging reuse and recycling.
The fact that we are encouraging reuse and recycling is quite important. We didn't make any commitment to certain levels or criteria that we would meet. This was primarily for two reasons.

Firstly, recycling is the responsibility of local government, so we must encourage local councils to further their recycling abilities and for them to encourage people to recycle their waste.

Secondly, environmental education plays an important role. We have to ensure that the public and industry is aware of the benefit and possibilities that exist in recycling, reuse and producing their products using environmentally friendly material. There is no point in having recycling facilities available if people aren't using them. Likewise, there has to be a market for the end product.

Business and industry have a responsibility to the environment, and the new Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, Morgan Williams, recognises this. He said that "most of society's needs and wants are actually delivered by the commercial sector in western economies, leaving aside perhaps education and health. Therefore, ultimately, the environmental qualities of a nation mostly rest with the business community".

United States consumer surveys have revealed that most people believe that fast food packaging accounts for more than 20% of the volume of landfill sites, with polystyrene foam representing more than 30% and disposable nappies more than 25%.

The real figures, according to an expert study, are 0.25% fast food packaging, 0.9% polystyrene foam and 0.8% baby nappies.

The author of this study said that almost 50% of landfill sites consist of newspaper and other paper products, such as magazines and junk mail which decompose very slowly.

From surveys such as these one thing is clear: The public is concerned about the environment but that's where clarity ends. So much of the debate comes down to perceptions rather than realities - a bit like politics really!

This is why we really need to have good data to support us in our efforts to deal with environmental problems. There is nothing more infuriating than an argument based on false or poor data. It gets nowhere and prevents us from being able to measure the effectiveness of policies and practices anyway.

Shortly I will be officially launching the Waste Data Report. The Waste Data report complements the cleaner production and waste minimisation work the Ministry for the Environment is currently doing.

The Waste Data Report is a major step forward in our understanding of waste generation and disposal in New Zealand. It is the first report to present quantitative waste data.

The purpose of the National Waste Data Report is to gather and summarise all reliable data on waste. The report is not for government alone, but organisations with an interest in waste management, local councils, industry, environmental groups and the public.

It provides a first snapshot of where we are at and identifies the areas in which there is inadequate data. The Government is committed to continuing this process and repeating the national report every five years.

The Ministry for the Environment will be providing advice on the implications of this new information, and whether our current waste policies are dealing effectively with our needs.

We now have a system that will help identify gaps in our waste management process. I would hope that the report will help to provide a benchmark upon which we can measure our progress in dealing with waste.

It has not been possible to gather all the necessary information on waste. The Ministry for the Environment will continue to collect new data, and we are encouraging people to send in any new data that they might have.

The trouble with data is how to present it in a meaningful way. Where possible we chose not to look at how waste is disposed but rather at when, where and by whom the waste is generated. If you are looking at solutions for waste issues these are far more meaningful issues. We want people to use this report to design solutions to the problems of waste not just to look at how to treat waste. When you look at the source of waste you cover all disposal options.

We need better information on what is recycled and where. This will allow us to look more carefully at how we can better encourage that component of the waste hierarchy.

The report shows that we are not reducing the amount of waste we generate. I'd like to run through some of the information contained in the report.

Landfilled waste In 1995 residential waste accounted for 45% of landfill and industrial waste accounted for 55%

This is actually pretty good compared to other countries, with New Zealand residential waste (an average of 401kg per household) being 20% less than average of OECD countries

Waste was composed into 8 categories:

organic accounted for: 36%
paper accounted for: 19%
construction and demolition accounted for: 17%
potentially hazardous accounted for: 8%
plastic accounted for: 7%
metal accounted for: 6%
glass accounted for: 2%
Interestingly, although most letters I receive complain about excess packaging this was estimated to only be occupying between 10-14% of space in landfilled waste.

Between 1986 and 1996 identified litter has fallen by approximately 40%, but paper and plastic still account for the highest percentage of litter found. Litter only comprises a small fraction of the solid waste stream, but it is the most visible and widely dispersed fraction, with considerable nuisance value. It certainly doesn't help us maintain our "clean and green" image.

OUTCOMES: SOLID WASTE RECYCLING

The report tried to get a picture of what was being recycled. Information in this area was among the most scarce, with most information coming from work done by the Packaging Industry Advisory Council during development of the packaging accord.

To make better decisions about recycling policy we will need to have better information. The Ministry is looking this year at how this information can be gathered as part of the review of the Waste Analysis Protocol, and I hope that we can count on your assistance in gathering more substantial recycling data.

Population covered The Packaging Industry and Advisory Council estimated that:

80% of New Zealanders have access to paper, aluminium and glass recycling
50% of New Zealanders have access to steel and organic waste recycling
Quantities collected

The fact that recycling data is still unreliable is proven by the Packaging Industry Councils claim that 65% of recyclable material is being recycled, whereas Wellington City Council claims that only 8% of recyclable material is being recycled. Clearly, there is still much to do. Wellington City Council also found that quantities of recyclable materials collected are increasing.
There are many problems with information gathering;

Councils' curbside recycling contracts do not always require contractors to provide them with quantities and composition of materials collected
Private contractors are not legally obliged to provide information on quantities and composition of materials collected
Businesses are not legally obliged to provide data on quantities of waste disposed or recycled
WHERE FROM HERE

Recycling is the domain of local Councils. But environmental issues do require Central Government to give a steer and help keep the momentum up. The 1992 Waste Policy has as a key component the encouragement of the use of a waste hierarchy. Recycling is the third level of this hierarchy so current work by the Ministry for the Environment is focused on reduction, and this is demonstrated by the Packaging Accord.

While recycling can be seen as an issue that requires some analysis and attention, current information shows that there are a number of other pressing problems that we must deal with also. The Waste Data Report shows that the hazardous waste and trade waste areas must be a priority.

During the next year the Ministry for the Environment will be working on several key areas:

The possible introduction of environmental business reporting
Organochlorines programme
Dealing with contaminated sites
Pollution Prevention
Environmental standards
The work being done as part of the Packaging Accord will continue. As you will be aware one of the initiatives under the Accord is to look further at recycling. This will need input from others, including local government and your industry.

Work is currently underway looking at barriers to recycling. The project will allow us to look at issues such as how to encourage use of recycled materials. I'm sure that this will be of interest to you, and I look forward to working with you on this project.

The World Bank said recently that it recognised the respective roles that government and industries must play. Their report highlighted five functions that governments, rather than markets and private bodies, must provide. They were: a basic legal framework, an effective macro-economic environment, investment in basic social services and infrastructure, a comprehensive safety net for vulnerable members of society and basic environmental protection.

Contrary to past thinking, the World Bank argued that governments cannot create growth, but must provide the right framework to create the confidence necessary for successful markets.

Similarly for the environment, especially in areas like recycling, the Government cannot provide the complete solution, only a framework.

If we are to look at improving the environment we must all play our part and work co-operatively towards ensuring that New Zealand can maintain it's "clean and green" image. And, without a doubt, the Recycling Operators of New Zealand have a big part to play.

ENDS