New Zealand

Prevention and reduction of plastic waste generation

Names of actions:
Phase out of hard-to-recycle and single-use plastics, including banning plastic bags.

Targeted products:
drink stirrers, cotton buds, single-use produce bags, cutlery, plates and bowls, straws, fruit labels, plastic bags.

Brief description:
The phase outs will be carried out over three stages, beginning in late 2022.

See: Phasing out hard-to-recycle and single-use plastics | Ministry for the Environment

In addition:
Following completion of a co-design process, we will be implementing regulated product stewardship schemes for plastic packaging and farm plastics.

We see a positive improvement from last two years

Numerical data:
More than an estimated 2 billion plastic shopping bags have been removed from circulation through our ban on plastic shopping bags in 2019. At least another 2 billion single-use plastic items (straws, cotton buds, cutlery etc) will be removed from circulation through the additional plastic phase-outs that commence in late 2022.

Names of actions:
Plastics Innovation Fund and Waste Minimisation Fund.

Brief description:
Support product and business model innovations – eg funding Plastics NZ to develop solutions for plastic packaging and products. The PIF supports projects that promote or achieve plastic waste minimization, and the WMF boosts NZ’s performance in reducing waste, reuse, recycling, and recovery of waste and diverted material.

See: Waste Minimisation Fund | Ministry for the Environment
See: Plastics Innovation Fund | Ministry for the Environment

We do not see any particular trend

Numerical data:
Information about the types of projects being funded: Waste Minimisation Fund funded projects | Ministry for the Environment

Names of actions:
Waste Minimisation (Microbeads) Regulations 2017

Brief description: The aim of the regulations is to prevent plastic microbeads, which are non-biodegradable, entering our marine environment. They can harm both marine life and life higher on the food chain including humans.

Additionally, the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) funds ‘Aotearoa Impacts and Mitigation of Microplastics’ – a program to develop a nationwide overview of contemporary microplastic pollution in New Zealand and assess the risk microplastics present to our environment, economy and well-being. Funded by the MBIE Endeavour Fund.

See: Waste Minimisation (Microbeads) Regulations 2017 (LI 2017/291) Contents – New Zealand Legislation

Comments:
Do not have data to make a conclusion about a particular trend.

Numerical data:
A literature review of marine plastics in NZ can be found here: our-marine-environment-2019.pdf
Some data is available through the Sustainable Coastlines litter intelligence programme: Litter Intelligence – Data

Environmentally sound waste management

Names of actions:
Waste Minimisation Act – Compliance, Monitoring and Enforcement (CME) strategy.

Brief description: CME policies and procedures have been updated to align with best practice and a strategy has developed to deal with compliance with the regulations. The Ministry is producing an annual performance monitoring report on its activities. Annual audit programmes will include a programme for managing the response to plastic bans and product stewardship schemes.

See: Compliance, monitoring and enforcement of the Waste Minimisation Act | Ministry for the Environment

Comments:
In the coming years we will have better data to make a conclusion about a particular trend.

Numerical data:
In addition:

• KNZB conducted a National Litter Audit in 2019 (their clean up events can include some beach/waterfront clean ups)
• Sustainable Coastlines developed the Litter Intelligence platform where citizen scientists clean up, and collect data on litter in coastal areas. Data collection methodology was developed with NIWA and StatsNZ

Names of actions:
Behaviour change campaign aimed at preventing littering and illegal dumping – led by Keep New Zealand Beautiful (KNZB), funded by MfE

Brief description:

• MfE’s Strategic Partnerships team are currently working to strengthen strategic alliances with organisations such as Keep New Zealand Beautiful and Sustainable Coastlines who are already delivering on the ground achieving mutual strategic outcomes for litter focused on reduction, data and evidence gathering and behaviour change.
• New Zealand supports the Global Ghost Gear Initiative and there are local groups affiliated with this who are taking action and educating.
• Certain territorial authorities install stormwater traps to reduce macro plastics entering waterways and further breaking down in the marine environment.

Comments:
Do not have data to make a conclusion about a particular trend.

Cleanup of marine plastic litter

Names of actions:
There are several nationwide and regional/local coastal clean up initiatives. In addition, community groups have initiatives in place along coastal regions to remove beach plastics.

Brief description:
For example, Sustainable Coastlines, a registered NZ charity, collects scattered beach waste through their ‘Love Your Coast’ programme. This targets marine litter through beach clean ups and education and have an associated Litter Intelligence database.

The Department of Conservation provides guidance on running local beach clean ups (Beach clean-ups: Restoration advice (doc.govt.nz)).

Local initiatives are also widespread, for example:

• Palmy’s Plastic Pollution Challenge which is aimed at reducing waste in streams and rivers.
• Keep New Zealand Beautiful Clean Up Week.
• Many mana whenua also have Iwi Environmental Management Plans in place in collaboration with local councils. Some of these plans include strategies to reduce pollution – including plastics.

Comments:
Recent data on beach litter is available (see below) but we do not have enough historical data to make a conclusion about a particular trend.

Numerical data:
our-marine-environment-2019.pdf
Litter Intelligence – Data

Comments:
Do not have data to make a conclusion about a particular trend. However, the litter intelligence platform (below) will build towards better identifying trends.

Numerical data:
our-marine-environment-2019.pdf
Litter Intelligence – Data

Promotion of innovative solutions

Names of actions:
National Plastics Action Plan

Brief description:
Includes a focus on recycling and reuse which encompasses actions such as phasing out single-use and hard-to-recycle plastics, regulated product stewardship of plastic packaging, improving kerbside recycling standardization, and commits to undertaking research on compostable packaging and its impacts on soil quality. These are not all aimed at encouraging plastics alternatives but they are aimed at circular product design, including use of recycled materials or closed loop recycling.

We are also committed to undertaking research to ascertain the impacts of compostable packaging on soils and release a Ministry position statement on the use of compostable packaging.

We see a positive improvement from last two years

Numerical data:
An estimated 2 billion plastic shopping bags have been removed from circulation through our ban on plastic shopping bags in 2019. At least another 2 billion single-use plastic items (straws, cotton buds, cutlery etc) will be removed from circulation through the additional plastic phase-outs that commence in late 2022.

Education and awareness raising

• The national waste strategy may provide new opportunities for waste disposal levy funds to be used for behaviour change. This is ongoing work for the Ministry to identify where public awareness and behaviour change tools can support policy objectives.
• The Government has also committed to identifying opportunities to improve teacher resources on plastics, and will coordinate this with future behaviour change campaigns.
• KNZB also operate in the citizen science space: https://www.knzb.org.nz/resources/research/local-litter-toolkit/

• Plastic Free July
• Names of actions:
• Summary of programmes run by Keep New Zealand Beautiful
  https://www.knzb.org.nz/programmes/education/
  https://www.knzb.org.nz/programmes/rewards-and-recognition/

International / Regional level:
Names of actions:
WMF funding to the Territorial Authorities Organisation Forum to promote the Plastic Free July campaign.

National level:
We do not see any particular trend

Local level:
We do not see any particular trend

International / Regional level:
We do not see any particular trend

Monitoring & Scientific research on marine plastic litter

Names of actions:
Participating in global discussions on tackling plastic pollution. Implemented new requirements under the Basel convention. Ongoing engagement with Australia’s federal government on waste-related issues, including exploring infrastructure support for Pacific Island countries to manage their waste.

New Zealand has work underway to collaborate with Australia on data collection on waste and material flows.

Brief description:
New Zealand supports discussions towards a global agreement to tackle plastic pollution. We are working with Australia on future international engagements to seek alignment on policy positions and pursue better regional outcomes in the long term.

Collaboration with Australia on data will be in the following areas:

• Data collection audits
• Investigating commercial confidentiality needs of waste operators
• Identifying connections between data and policy workstreams
• Improving the accessibility of waste data
• Improving waste material flows