An Auckland Council bin for recycling food scraps. Photo: supplied
The government has quietly cancelled plans to improve recycling and roll out a kerbside food scraps composting scheme.
The Ministry for the Environment on Wednesday posted an update on its website saying the government has agreed four of five policies for waste minimisation had been put on hold.
No ministerial media release or statement was sent out notifying the public of the decision.
The standardisation across the country of which materials can be included in recycling schemes took effect in February, but the remaining four policies "will no longer go ahead".
These included:
- Mandatory kerbside composting for all urban areas
- Mandatory kerbside recycling for all urban areas
- Requiring schemes to report on materials diverted from landfill
- A performance standard for council recycling and composting schemes
The ministry's update said the government decision had been aimed at reducing additional costs on councils and to allow more choice around the timing for introducing any new services.
It said the government would continue supporting councils' introduction of recycling and food scraps collection through the Waste Minimisation Fund.
Organisations including councils and private companies can apply for up to 40 percent of a project which diverts waste from landfills, with at least $100,000 put towards business cases, feasibility studies and pilots; and at least $250,000 for other project types.
It is funded by a combination of those levies and direct government funding, but the Budget confirmed increases to the fees councils charge via landfills to go into it, while simultaneously cutting the government money going into the fund.
The government-funded portion was cut by $177.7 million over four years, with a further $52m over four years cut by scaling back related policy work.
The criteria for applications to the fund were also broadened to cover freshwater catchment restoration and freshwater improvements, spreading the funding available for waste minimisation thinner.
When RNZ sought comment from Environment Minister Penny Simmonds about the decision to scrap the four waste minimisation policies, she said councils that wanted to bring in new collection services should apply for a grant through the fund.
"If any council is considering establishing new kerbside collection services, including food scraps collections, I encourage them to apply for a grant to invest in the infrastructure and technology needed to collect and sort this waste," she said.
"The Ministry for the Environment has advised stakeholders about these decisions."
She last updated the criteria for the Waste Minimisation fund through a Gazette notice in mid-September.
Simmonds this year had the Disability Issues portfolio taken off her after making funding decisions which restricted the access to equipment and support services. She had already apologised and acknowledged the communication of those decisions - via an update through the ministry's website - had been bungled.
Simmonds told RNZ the Ministry of Environment contacted stakeholders in the waste sector, as well as councils about the decisions.
A spokesperson for her office said the decision was made on 13 November.
'Throwing away money': Wellington City Council seeking more information
Wellington City Councillor Iona Pannett, who chairs the regional waste management and minimisation plan committee, said the government had made the decision without consulting the local government sector.
She said the council had not been notified directly of the changes, including to the food scrap scheme.
"Basically they pulled the rug out from under our feet," she told RNZ. "I'm deeply disappointed by this move."
"Big cities like Christchurch and Auckland already have such a service, so it's nothing radical.
"Wellington City Council was well under way with getting ready to have its own service, so it's just really disappointing that without consultation they've made this decision.
"New Zealand is one of the worst performers for waste diversion in the OECD ... because we've got a sparse population we've got all this land, so we've dumped [waste in landfills] rather than looking after it or repurposing it."
Food scrap schemes were needed, she said, because the scraps formed a large portion of the waste going into landfills, where they would produce the potent greenhouse gas methane.
"Also it's basically like throwing away money, because these are rich resources which could be made into compost and could be used elsewhere, rather than just dumping them in a hole.
"Without making it mandatory, councils who are always cash strapped will kind of go 'oh, well, that's a nice to have and we'll do the urgent tasks [instead]' - but this is an urgent task.
"You can argue easily that it is a core function of council - it's not just picking up your rubbish, you've got to do something with the rubbish."
She said while it was true councils could still decide to bring in waste minimisation schemes - and indeed, were required to make plans under the Waste Minimisation Act - it would also make it harder to fund them.
"A critical issue to understand is that there is no zero-cost option here: if we don't deal with our recyclable goods and food scraps, we have to build bigger landfills, and we will have higher ETS charges."
Wellington council would be requesting more information through the Official Information Act and to meet with the minister, she said.