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Resolution
number WTM/2023/137
MOVED by Member A Bonham, seconded by Member R Northey:
That
the Waitematā Local Board:
a)
support the
strategic vision of the current Waste strategy, including achieving Zero
Waste by 2040. It is satisfying to see how much progress has been made since
the last iteration of the plan with regard to reduction in waste to landfill,
the food scrap collection, the setting up of recycling centres and
collaborative work with building companies to reduce construction waste. We
support the direction recommended by staff.
b)
note that the
government has taken some of the necessary steps towards realising a circular
economy with regard to food scrap collection, data collection and sharing,
standardisation, tracking, diversion targets and work on container deposit
schemes. However, there is still much work to be done to fully realise the
ambition of zero waste, and this will require work at the family, local, regional,
and central government level. Ongoing collaboration and advocacy are
supported.
c)
support construction
and demolition waste, food scraps, paper, plastics and textiles as high
priority waste streams to be diverted from landfill and recommend adding
e-waste as an area of focus.
d)
the council website
should be a resource to educate and empower residents to access all the
information we need – including content provided by council partners.
We recommend that the website is looked at by a user experience expert to
make it as intuitive and easy to navigate as possible to enable and encourage
best practice amongst the community.
e)
support there being
a community component in delivering waste outcomes, even if this means
community recycling centres/ composting will need extra funding support.
f)
recommend removing
fees at recycling centres to offload items as this is likely to create a
barrier to recycling. As with food scraps, recycling is a public good and
should be funded by all.
g)
note that reducing
waste efforts has led to greater community resilience. This was evident in
the aftermath of the storms when community recycling centres played a
significant role in supporting the community, not just in providing items for
those who needed them, but as community hubs. Reducing waste in general
through Love Food Hate Waste schemes and community gardening also build
community and helps those in difficult circumstances.
h)
recommend staff
explore, or advocate to central government to explore, how waste-producing
manufacturers might contribute to the running of these centres.
i)
endorse and are
Impressed by the research done by the waste team and support the direction
outlined in the Waste briefing.
j)
strongly support a
collaborative approach with the private sector, community, mana whenua and
government agencies to have the most impact.
Construction Waste
k)
note construction
waste still makes up the vast majority of waste to landfill and strongly
support this being a priority waste stream.
l)
support
disseminating information on best practice to developers and encouraging the
development of waste plans in advance that can reduce waste, and costs.
m)
support council
promoting relocating houses and deconstruction rather than demolition.
n)
support council
leading by example on its own projects (for example, the reusable alternative
to plastic wrap on Waiōrea Western
Springs Recycling Centre). We strongly recommend sharing information on how
council did, and others might, reduce waste, using the council website.
o)
support continuing
and expanding collaborations with developers and using procurement to support
waste reduction.
p)
support advocating
to government to reinstate the requirement for demolition plans when bringing
down structures and to require waste plans for all builds. This could lead to
a substantial reduction in waste that creates a level playing field and
better standards across the whole industry with regard waste management.
Food Waste
q)
note reducing food
waste has many benefits including reducing emissions that cause climate
heating. We support including everyone and all buildings in the food scrap
scheme.
r)
support continuing
schemes to educate and encourage people to avoid creating food waste in the
first place, through good menu planning, storage methods, diverting it to
those who need it, composting and, finally, food scrap collection.
s)
note that residents
in multi-unit apartments would like to be included in the food scrap
collection scheme and recommend that this service be delivered as soon as
possible. In the meanwhile, we would recommend educating and informing
residents in apartments how they might organise to procure food scrap
collection through non-council providers so that their waste may be
composted.
t)
note it is widely
acknowledged, including within council, that aerobic composting creates
better compost than the anaerobic system used in the council food scrap
collection system. It is important then to continue to support home and
individual composting through funding and by educating and informing
residents on how to compost or find community composting schemes.
u)
recommend including
on the council website a click-through tile on the food waste webpage
directing people to information on home and community composting.
Plastics
v)
note the community
is unsure whether plastics are recycled in New Zealand, or anywhere at all.
It is important to both reduce the creation of single use plastics, if there
are no cost effective and energy efficient means to recycle plastics onshore.
w)
recommend accurate
reporting on plastic recycling onshore so that the public gains confidence on
what can be recycled and help them focus their attention on where they should
reduce purchase of plastics.
x)
recommend that more
water drinking fountains, and bottle fill stations are established across the
city and their locations widely disseminated so that people can fill up their
own bottles rather than buying water in single use plastic bottles.
y)
support more
investment into finding new products that can be made out of recycled
plastic.
z)
recommend bold
targets on the reduction of plastic that goes into landfill or offshore from
Auckland waste streams.
aa)
recommend ongoing
education on reducing plastic, that makes it easy for people to connect the
damage done to the Hauraki Gulf and its wildlife, and the dumping of plastic.
bb)
recommend focusing
on reducing plastic wastage in commercial and construction sectors as much as
household waste.
Textiles
cc)
note it is
estimated that globally 85% of textiles sold end up in landfill or
incinerated within the year.
dd)
support Auckland
Council to develop a strategy to encourage a shift to a new textile economy.
Paper and Cardboard
ee)
note it is
concerning that so much paper is being dumped, and we support prioritising
this waste stream and developing initiatives to divert this waste from
landfill.
E-Waste
ff)
note the materials
used in e-waste are valuable, but damaging to the environment if dumped in
landfill, or waterways. Developing our capacity to recycle electrical
products is of high importance.
gg)
recommend making it
as easy and convenient as possible for people to dispose of e-waste. At the
moment having to drive to out of the way recycling centres and then paying
for them to take these goods serve as a barrier to people who might be
tempted to put these items in the bin.
hh)
strongly recommend
establishing collection points in places that people can and do regularly access,
whether it be council facilities like libraries or community centres, or
industry partners, like electronic stores on the high street.
ii)
note an ongoing
waste stream of sufficient volume/weight will enable e-waste recycling to
take place within Auckland, and mean more materials are available for
repairers, or for those who can break down complex products back to their raw
materials to be used again.
jj)
recommend council educate
and empower the public to recycle e-waste by mapping where electrical items
can be dropped off in Waitematā (and beyond if possible) and
making that map easily findable in the waste section of the council website.
Other
kk)
strongly support exploring
how to tackle other large parts of the waste stream and incorporating nappies
into the strategy (part of that might be promoting cloth nappies which are
much more sophisticated and easier to wash than in past decades).
ll)
support Council
advocacy for the container return scheme being restarted as soon as possible.
mm)
support reuse of
glass bottles and would be happy for Waitematā to be a trial area for schemes that encourage
this.
nn)
support
strengthening the focus on climate change mitigation, adaptation and
resilience.
oo)
support increasing
the number of community centres, recycling centres and resource recovery
parks to at least 23 by 2031.
pp)
support an ongoing
focus to reduce litter, illegal dumping of commercial industrial waste and of
marine waste.
qq)
support
strengthening partnerships with mana whenua.
Advocacy
rr)
note advocacy is still
necessary for Central Government to:
i)
require demolition
plans and waste plans in building consents;
ii)
raise waste levies;
iii)
ensure right to
repair;
iv)
require
manufacturers to reduce waste by design;
v)
restrict the
use/importation of packaging that is hard to recycle;
vi)
support product
stewardship schemes, including container deposit schemes;
vii)
support the setting
up and running of recycling centres onshore that can process glass, plastics,
paper, cardboard, metals, e-waste, textiles cost effectively;
viii)
support a shift to
a new textile economy that dramatically reduces waste to landfill, emissions,
the loss of micro-plastics into the environment;
ix)
support advocacy to
central government to ensure cross-ministry policy supports a circular
economy.
CARRIED
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