GETTING THERE! The Road to Zero Waste - Strategies for Sustainable Communities Ze r o Wast - GAIA Library
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GETTING THERE!
The Road to Zero Waste
o Wa
er 2020 s
te
Z
Strategies for Sustainable Communities
Prepared for Zero Waste New Zealand Trust
by
Envision New Zealand
August 2003
With Support from Community Employment Group
About the Authors Warren Snow works in the area of sustainable community development. He has helped create local business and employment initiatives in waste reduction, recycling, habitat protection, energy efficiency, low-income housing and local revolving loan funds. He is a founder of the Zero Waste New Zealand Trust and has helped municipalities, busi- nesses and institutions develop Zero Waste strategies. Warren is manager of Envision New Zealand. Julie Dickinson is an associate of Envision New Zealand and former manager of Zero Waste New Zealand Trust. She is now coordinating the establishment of Zero Waste International Alliance, an organisation that will help link Zero Waste campaigns around the world and which will help set international benchmarks and standards for Zero Waste. Editorial review by Richard Tong, Tong and Associates Prepared by: PO Box 33 239 Takapuna Auckland mailbox@envision-nz.com For: PO Box 33 1695 Takapuna Auckland mailbox@zerowaste.co.nz With support from:
CONTENTS
Introduction
Section One: The Zero Waste Journey So Far
1. The Zero Waste story
2. About Zero Waste
3. The New Zealand story so far
4. Who else is going for zero?
Section Two: The Road to Zero Waste for Communities
1. Introduction
2. Seven key strategies for communities:
• Adopt a Zero Waste target
• Plan for success
•Put the incentives in the right place
• Develop the infrastructure for recycling and resource recovery
• Engage the community
• Walk the talk
• Lobby to change the rules
Section Three: The Road to Zero Waste for New Zealand
The 5 key recommendations for New Zealand
1. A national target of Zero Waste by 2020
2. A landfill levy
3. Landfill bans
4. Industry stewardship programmes
5. A national Zero Waste Agency
Section Four: The Vision for the Future
1. The Vision
2. Who should do what
3. Alternative industrial systems
Section Five: Appendices
Section Six: Resources and links
1
In 2002 New Zealand became the first country in the world to adopt a
national policy of Zero Waste. The vision “Towards Zero Waste and a
Sustainable New Zealand” resulted from an extensive, community-led
campaign that has so far resulted in 38 of New Zealand’s 74 local
authorities adopting Zero Waste targets.
Fifty nine percent of the public submissions to the Government-
appointed Working Party called for a national Zero Waste policy – many
also wanted a target date of 2020.
The Government’s Waste Strategy has received wide acclaim for both its
vision and the sound principles upon which it is based such as Extended
Producer Responsibility, Kaitiakitanga 1, and the Precautionary
Principle, but has also attracted wide criticism for being a “wish list
without any teeth”.
This document offers a suggested pathway for communities in New
Zealand to help them realise the Government’s vision of Zero Waste. It
also provides feedback and input from the best Zero Waste experts
around New Zealand and the world on the tools and strategies that will
keep the vision alive.
1
The Maori concept of Kaitiakitanga expresses an integrated view of the environment and recognises the relationship between all things. Kaitiakitanga represents the
obligation of current generations to maintain the life sustaining capacity of the environment for future generations.
2
INTRODUCTION
Growing numbers of communities around the world are staff, community organisations, recycling operators,
adopting Zero Waste policies, having become frustrated entrepreneurs and activists should all find something to
with the progress of governments and businesses to deal help them understand and communicate the big picture,
with the waste crisis. By doing so they are sending a as well as ideas on developing effective Zero Waste
powerful message to decision-makers and business that strategies for their communities.
communities no longer want to be the final dumping
ground for the outputs of the industrial system - and that The guide does not attempt to provide specific or
cheap, easy disposal is coming to an end. detailed “how-to” instructions or the precise details of
particular technologies or processes. What it does do, is
At the time of writing, over half of New Zealand’s City provide an overview of the best information to date
and District Councils have adopted Zero Waste policies. from New Zealand and around the world, and guidance
This guide is based on the experiences of people around on taking the first critical steps towards Zero Waste.
New Zealand who have contributed to local Zero Waste There is no detailed road map yet to get to Zero Waste,
campaigns and international Zero Waste campaigners however, many communities have taken the first steps
and experts who are working for Zero Waste in their and much has been learned in the process.
countries.
This guide will also direct you to further resources and
expertise. The key sections for those who want to
Purpose of this guide get straight to the heart of the guide, are Sections
This guide is designed to assist communities develop 2 – The Road to Zero Waste for Communities and
practical strategies that will help them work towards Section 3 – The Road to Zero Waste for New
Zero Waste. Local Government elected members and Zealand.
Notes on the language used in this report
The tools and strategies within this document are designed - pointing out that the point of disposal is the point where
to drive the journey to a Zero Waste society - but we must materials are passed to another party either to be reused,
also challenge the language of ‘wasting’ if we want to repaired recycled, remade, buried or, as in many countries,
cement long-term change. Throughout this document we burned.
have tried to revisit and where necessary change language
The expression resource efficiency is a term used to
that reinforces the status quo and works against the vision
describe how efficiently materials are being used by
and target of Zero Waste.
society, a community or a business.The aim is to increase
Wherever possible we have tried to use the expression, the efficiency of a resource or material - either by making it
wasted resources instead of waste throughout the text. last longer or by recycling it and using it again and again. A
Equally, where possible, we have moved from the use of business for example can increase its materials efficiency
waste stream to that of material flows. Waste is by reducing material use whilst increasing income and
currently looked on as a stream flowing from society profitability. Companies can measure their resource
(commerce, households, institutions etc) to landfill - a intensity by comparing material usage to annual sales.
liability that needs to be got rid of. Material flow indicates
We question the concept of Integrated Waste
that there is value in this wasted resource and it has the
Management that is currently associated with the
potential to move, or flow back upstream as well as down.
dominant waste management practice of landfilling and,
Using the expression Waste Stream may still be useful at
has actually marginalised waste reduction and recycling
times, as long as it is understood within the broader
initiatives. An Integrated Zero Waste Strategy on the
context of material flows.
other hand, puts waste elimination as the core focus and
At times we have followed the lead of Dan Knapp and marginalises landfilling - as the last and absolutely last
Mary Lou DeVenter in using the expression discards as a resort for dealing with wasted resources.
replacement for waste. As Dan says “it’s not waste until it’s
New language will not bring about change without
wasted”- until then it’s a discard looking for a place to go.
supporting policy, infrastructure and incentives to bring
Dan and Mary Lou also exhort us to see disposal as not
about the desired waste reduction outcomes - as part of an
necessarily meaning the end of life of a product or material
Integrated Waste Elimination or Zero Waste Strategy.
3
SECTION ONE: THE ZERO WASTE
JOURNEY SO FAR
1 THE ZERO WASTE STORY Recycling
It’s unclear where the term Zero Waste was first con-
Where it began ceived, but the move towards Zero Waste probably
started in the late 1960s on at least two important but
The Zero Waste story starts and ends with Nature itself
unconnected fronts. On the one hand, pioneers began
and the world we live in. Over time Nature has devised a
setting up community recycling programmes in an
system where waste from one organism becomes
attempt to put into action their concerns for the
resources for others, creating cyclical material flows in a
environment and as a result of their efforts recycling has
state of constant equilibrium and balance. Highly
become a household word and daily activity for people
sensitive feedback systems ensure that whenever wastes
all around the world.
(used resources) begin to accumulate, the opportunities
to utilise them are quickly taken up by other organisms Over the years recycling initiatives have come and gone
to build more abundance and common wealth. It has as commodity prices have risen and fallen with many
taken Nature hundreds of millions of years to perfect businesses falling by the wayside. Meanwhile municipali-
Zero Waste and it is a fundamental principle of the ties have continued to build better and bigger systems
natural world2. to cope with ever increasing flows of waste.They have
tended to see recycling as an activity that had popular
However mankind is in the process of rapidly destroying
appeal but not as a serious core option to landfilling3.
the very system that sustains us. Our one-way, linear
Their view was encouraged and supported by the
material flows are depleting finite resources and treating
powerful international waste industry that has gradually
Nature as an enormous sink for our increasing volumes
consolidated and gained control4 of an increasingly
of waste.
valuable waste stream.
The human economic system operates within the much
wider framework of the natural economy (the environ- Cleaner Production
ment), but we have taken Nature’s capacity to absorb
waste for granted. The other development was the concept of Cleaner
Production5 for business.This modern approach to the
management of materials, energy and waste within
Our industrial system is predicated on the companies saved manufacturers both money and
extraction of’‘cheap’ resources to make products valuable resources and led to significant reductions in
that are largely designed to end up in landfills. waste and energy costs – and is an accepted concept for
business efficiency today. But there are only a handful of
companies that have taken Cleaner Production prin-
We have invested so heavily in waste disposal and the
ciples beyond their own factory walls to ensure that the
supply chain system that feeds it, that attempts to
products they manufacture do not themselves become
change it over the past 30 years have made little impact.
waste.
The increasing pressure of consumerism over the last 50
years, exacerbated by the forces of globalisation has
The problem is, that the principles of Cleaner
resulted in massive increase in waste volumes. The
Production in industry are not linked to the bigger
toxicity of the wasted resources we are producing is
issues of consumption and wasting. Communities
increasing and combined with the development of
are still left with the final responsibility for waste
materials like plastics the“waste” problem has become
disposal–– even from products made under Cleaner
intractable in some people’s minds.
Production principles.
It’s time to return to the system that Nature has
perfected and once more act as part of the natural The lack of integration between progressive ideas such
system on which we ultimately depend. as Cleaner Production near the top of the waste pipe-
line, and community recycling near the end, not to
2
An exception is volcanic/geothermal activity that produces wastes that take a very long time to re-integrate back into natural cycles.
3
In most cases throughout this report the emphasis is on landfilling as the main residual disposal option. New Zealand does not have any commercial municipal or industrial waste
incineration facilities.
4
The Impact of Waste Industry Consolidation on Recycling. P Anderson et al MSW Magazine June 2001
5
It is interesting to note that the original name for Cleaner Production was No Waste Technology (NWT).A NWT conference was organised by the United Nations in 1976
4
mention product design and supply chain management, 2 ABOUT ZERO WASTE
created a vacuum and the perfect environment was
created for the waste industry to grow fat on society’s
THE PROBLEM
discards. As a result, a whole generation has grown up
with little awareness of the correlation between con- New Zealand, with a population of just four million, is
sumption habits and the rubbish they put out at the gate littered with landfills – often near or over sensitive
- waste will simply be picked up by someone, taken marine and freshwater systems. Many of these are
away and safely hidden in a distant landfill. closing and being replaced with larger regional landfills
that we are told will be safer. This contradicts studies
Total Recycling that show there are significant health risks associated
with landfilling and the knowledge that all landfill liners
Frustrated with the growth and power of the wasting will eventually leak (for further information see Wasted
system, and the inability to gain financial resources for Opportunity; A Closer Look at Landfilling and Incinera-
waste reduction and recycling, a few environmental tion7). Regardless of their safety, these large facilities
activists started promoting the idea of “Total Recycling”. present a clear danger because increased investment
Their idea was to change the mindset amongst local and capacity actually encourages increased materials
authorities by proposing that instead of spending flows. In attempting to solve one problem - informal and
millions of dollars on landfilling and incinerating, to unsafe landfills, we are creating a new one – over-
spend it instead on “total recycling”. Their pleas were capacity that requires ongoing waste flows to justify
largely unheard – both by industry who had a vested capital costs and give a return to investors. We have the
interest in cheap waste disposal, and by waste managers absurd situation now where communities are looking
who felt more confident dealing with large waste for more waste to help them fund the costs of the ‘waste
companies that could guarantee service than with a mix hiding’ infrastructure that they have built.
of recyclers and community organizations with limited
capital equipment and resources. It didn’t matter that in
The idea of “managing” waste isn’t working
doing so they were creating larger problems – they were
doing what their communities were demanding of For too long we have put our faith in the idea of “manag-
them – sanitary and ‘cost effective’ waste disposal. ing” waste but it hasn’t solved the problem, and a
tragedy is unfolding as the hidden long term costs of
• • • waste accumulate. Cheap waste disposal to landfills
“Recycling has not reduced waste either. Even (and, overseas, to incinerators) threatens our materials
after the enormous exertions of America’s cities efficiency and, as has been discovered by many manufac-
and towns to recycle bottles, cans, newspapers turers around the world, our industrial competitiveness.
and other consumable products, 70% of the In the final analysis landfills destroy valuable resources.
products we buy are still going to landfills and Even if they were proved ‘safe,’ this destruction of
incinerators. The total quantity of throwaway resources would be enough reason to condemn them as
products and packaging going to America’s outmoded disposal technologies. The final goal for a
landfills was actually larger in 2000 than in 1990.” sustainable society is to create a 100% materials-efficient
Helen Spiegelman6 economy – based on the same principles that Nature has
successfully proven for millions of years. The whole idea
• • • of “Integrated Waste Management” has served to main-
tain the interests of the dominant players, industries that
Zero Waste want society to be responsible for their waste outputs,
Although Zero Waste had already taken hold in business for example the packaging industry - and those that
for some years, it wasn’t until the late 1990s that the profit from burying waste, the waste industry. But few
radical idea of ‘No Waste’ - or ‘Zero Waste’ took hold in would disagree that these agendas have brought us to
municipalities. It started in Canberra, Australia’s capital the point of crisis we now face and that society is
city, where citizens asked the State Government to demanding change.
consider a ‘no waste’ policy. A community consultation
process followed which resulted in Canberra becoming
• • •
the first city in the world to adopt an official target of No liner, however, can keep all liquids out of the
‘No Waste by 2010’. This was the start for Zero Waste ground for all time. Eventually liners will either
and was followed not long after by the Zero Waste degrade, tear, or crack and will allow liquids to
campaign in New Zealand. Since then it has spread to migrate out of the unit. Some have argued that
communities and other countries around the world. liners are devices that provide a perpetual seal
against any migration. EPA has concluded that
6
Beyond Recycling:The Future of Waste. Enough! Spring 2000.The Centre for the New American Dream’s quarterly magazine
7
Zero Waste New Zealand Trust , 2002. www.zerowaste.co.nz
5
the more reasonable assumption …is that any BENEFITS TO NEW ZEALAND OF ZERO WASTE
liner will begin to leak eventually.”8
Tourism
• • • Our clean environment is our nation’s biggest asset -
inextricably linked to the success of our export and
THE SOLUTION tourism industries. The international perception of New
Zealand as a clean green country and a clean source of
A crisis demands action - a breakthrough! And the
breakthrough strategy for solving our waste crisis is a food for the world is worth fighting for.
very simple one - Zero Waste is a “whole system” Exports
approach to redesigning resource flows comprised of an
underpinning philosophy, a clear vision, and a call to Zero Waste is a powerful signal to our overseas markets
action - all based on the notion that we CAN eliminate that New Zealand’s primary produce comes from an
waste. Zero Waste is a clear vision for eliminating waste environment with less of the health hazards associated
that: with landfill leachate contamination. Even the percep-
tion of food contamination is a serious threat.
1. Has concrete goals
Imports
2. Is a single call to action
By recycling and reusing the maximum amount of
3. Engages the national psyche materials and products we will significantly cut down
on imported materials and make sure that those we do
4. Predicts and redesigns the future
import are used to the full.
5. Creates a climate of continual improvement
6. Out - competes existing waste disposal methods Global Warming/Climate Change
7. Creates a new economic model enabling the market Landfills are a source of greenhouse gas emissions.
to drive the change Large-scale waste elimination will help us meet our
Kyoto Summit obligations by reducing CO2 and methane
• • • emissions. For every tonne of waste diverted from
Zero Waste is a whole-system approach to ad- landfill 0.8 metric tonnes of carbon equivalent are
dressing the problem of society’s unsustainable saved10. No other avenue for reducing these emissions
resource flows. Zero Waste encompasses waste provides such a range of other positive outcomes.
elimination at source through product design and Local Economic Development
producer responsibility, and waste reduction
strategies further down the supply chain such as Hard-hit communities are already taking control of a
Cleaner Production, product dismantling, recy- huge untapped, and increasingly valuable resource - to
cling, re-use and composting. Communities that create local businesses, and wealth, from waste11.
implement Zero Waste strategies are aiming to
switch from wasteful and damaging waste dis- Employment
posal methods to value-added resource recovery An economic sleeping giant will be awakened through
systems that will help build sustainable local reuse of the vast quantities of separated materials that
economies. As such Zero Waste is in complete will come on stream - creating a huge labour market. The
opposition to landfilling and incineration.9 recovered-materials industry in New Zealand is already a
significant part of the economy12.
• • •
Reduced Liability
A National Vision of Zero Waste
Our long-term waste disposal costs will be greatly
By setting a national target of ‘Towards Zero Waste’, New
reduced - and we will take the burden of cleaning up
Zealand became the first country to aim to eliminate,
leachate- contaminated waterways and polluted beaches
rather than manage waste. We can potentially gain
from future generations.
immense rewards from being at the front but we must
take the next steps now before we lose our leadership
role and the benefits that will follow.
8
US EPA 1981. Quote from keynote speech to the Colorado Summit for Recycling, 2002.‘Can Recycling Succeed When Landfills are Permitted to Pollute? ‘ Peter Anderson,
President, Recycleworlds Consulting
9
Wasted Opportunity: A Closer Look at Landfilling and Incineration. Zero Waste New Zealand Trust, 2001
10
Zero Waste . Robin Murray. Greenpeace Environmental Trust. 2002 . Wasted Opportunity: A Closer Look at Landfilling and Incineration. Zero Waste New Zealand Trust 2001
11
Creating Wealth from Waste. Robin Murray. Demos 1999
12
Survey of Recycling Businesses in the Auckland Region. Waste Not Ltd Auckland. 1998
6
Knowledge Economy • Helps communities develop local economies,
sustain good jobs, and provide a measure of self-
Experimentation and Kiwi innovation will flourish in an sufficiency.
environment open to new ideas and the resulting
technology will be able to be exported around • Reduces consumption and ensures that products
the world. are made to be reused, repaired or recycled back
into nature or the marketplace.
National Pride and a Leadership Role
• Is a powerful new concept that enables us to
New Zealand will take pride in pioneering an innovative challenge old ways of thinking and inspires new
environmental/social policy that becomes established as attitudes and behaviour - the hallmarks of a
a global precedent. breakthrough strategy.
WE ARE ALREADY ON THE ROAD TO ZERO • Is a competing waste disposal option to landfilling
WASTE (and incineration) and is consistently showing to
be a more economically viable option.
As of August 2003, 38 of New Zealand’s 74 local authori-
ties have set targets of Zero Waste to landfill by between
2010 and 2020. Other countries and communities have
been inspired by the scale of the movement in New
Zealand. International leaders in sustainability such as
Paul Hawken, author of ‘The Ecology of Commerce’,
Robin Murray from the London School of Economics
and author of’‘Creating Wealth from Waste’ and Ray
Anderson, CEO of Interface Carpets, are also advocating
Zero Waste as a new way of creating economic wealth
and addressing a host of other social and environmental
problems.
WHAT IS ZERO WASTE?
IS IT POSSIBLE TO ACHIEVE ZERO WASTE?
Zero Waste:
At first, Zero Waste seems impossible. How could we
• Aims to eliminate rather than just “manage” waste. expect to eliminate all waste and, if we could, wouldn’t
• Is a whole system approach that aims to com- it be prohibitively expensive? Even if we could afford it,
pletely change the way materials flow through where would we start?
society - resulting in NO WASTE. Fortunately, Zero Waste isn’t something that we need to
• Is both an end of pipe solution which encourages invent from scratch. After all, it builds on the longest-
waste diversion through recycling and resource running, most successful Zero Waste model of all -
recovery, and a guiding design philosophy for Nature. Even in our human-made world, many of the
eliminating waste at source and at all points down building blocks are already in place, with many success-
the supply chain. ful models throughout the world.
• Is a unifying concept or “brand” for a basket of Zero Waste is a goal - like the manufacturing goals of
existing and emerging technologies aimed at the Zero Emissions, Zero Accidents and Zero Defects - or
elimination of waste. like the ‘Smoke Free’ and ‘Nuclear Free’ campaign goals.
All of these were adopted as impossible targets at the
• Resets the compass with new tools and new ways beginning but have since brought about dramatic
of thinking so that normal, everyday activities changes in industry and society.
contribute to the answer rather than the problem.
It’s important not to get hung up on the zero. No system
• Is a way to transform the current cost-plus waste is 100% efficient. But we know that we can get ‘darn
industry - whose existence is dependent on the close’. Zero Waste as a goal enables public and private
destruction of more and more resources, into a organizations to focus creativity and resources on a
value-added resource recovery industry. journey of continuous improvement that will com-
pletely change the way we think about and deal
• Redesigns the current, one-way industrial system with waste.
into a cyclical system modelled on Nature’s
successful strategies.
7
EMERGING TRENDS IN SUPPORT OF ZERO helps in redesign as manufacturers get better
WASTE feedback about product failures.
Zero Waste integrates with a number of fast emerging • The simplicity movement: A fast growing move-
international trends: ment aiming to reduce the emphasis of materialism
in return for greater quality of life. Over 40 maga-
• Selling service rather than product: Most photo-
zines are available in the USA alone extolling and
copiers, some carpets, some computers and now
providing tips for living more simply with more
some washing machines are leased to clients rather
time for family hobbies and personal growth rather
than sold. As a result the manufacturer has a vested
than the current time deficient, career oriented
interest in building higher quality, longer lasting
materialistic lifestyles of the 90s.
products - thus helping society use less materials.
Each of these trends is having an impact on society. Each
• Design for the Environment: A new discipline
will have an effect on the products that we buy and the
initiated by designers ensuring that all costs,
waste we create. Each is completely compatible with,
including the environment, are considered and
and supports, the power of a unifying concept such as
internalised at the design stage.
Zero Waste.
• Design for Disassembly: Another design discipline
aimed at ensuring products are designed for ease • • •
of disassembly so that the parts can be reintegrated “Zero Waste is an extraordinary concept that can
into new models and materials can be recycled. lead society, business, and cities to innovative
• Remanufacturing: Taking parts that have been be breakthroughs that can save the environment,
used again for the same or similar purpose (at its lives, and money. Through the lens of Zero Waste,
simplest, restoring the thread of a screw) an entirely new relationship between humans and
systems is envisaged, the only one that can create
• Factor 4 and Factor 10: Where society aims to get more security and well being for people while
an increase in the amenity or service of a resource reducing dramatically our impact upon planet
by a factor of 4. Factor 10 came soon after and now earth. The excitement is on two levels: it provides
there is talk of the need to go for much greater a broad and far-reaching vision, and yet it is
increases in resource productivity. practical and applicable today.” Paul Hawken
• Cleaner Production: An efficiency concept used • • •
mainly by business to reduce the impacts of
production on the environment. Now in common
practice right throughout industry worldwide. 3 THE NEW ZEALAND STORY
There are numerous success stories where signifi- SO FAR
cant savings have been made over quite short
periods of time. The Zero Waste campaign began in earnest in New
Zealand in 1997 with the founding of Zero Waste New
• De-materialisation: An expression used extensively
Zealand Trust, a not-for-profit organisation with the
by Paul Hawken, The Natural Step founder Karl
vision for New Zealand to become the first Zero Waste
Herick Robert and Amory and Hunter Lovins of the
society. The campaign built on the work of many small
Rocky Mountain Institute to describe the concept
local groups trying to create sustainable jobs and
of using less materials to provide the same service.
businesses through resource recovery and waste
• Dynamic Modularity: Where products are made in minimization activities
modules, so that only some modules need to be
Funds were raised so that seed grants could be given to
replaced to lengthen product life (for example the
assist local initiatives and a campaign began to promote
‘skin’ of a product)
Zero Waste as a national and local strategy. The
• Extended Producer Responsibility: Where manufac- campaign aimed to unify the various waste elimination
turers take responsibility for the entire life cycle of initiatives into an easily understood vision and to
products and packaging. provide a rallying point for the community sector.
• Reverse Logistics: Where retail chains use their In 2002 New Zealand became the first country in the
distribution systems in reverse to move all broken world to adopt a vision of Zero Waste.The new national
or unsaleable merchandise to specialised locations Waste Strategy adopted a vision of ‘Towards Zero Waste
for repair, reuse or breaking down into compo- and a sustainable New Zealand’. Of the 251 submissions
nents for recycling. Retailers report huge cost made to the Government on the Waste Strategy 59%
savings from reverse logistics. Reverse logistics also called for a vision of Zero Waste – many also calling for a
target date of 2020.
8By adopting Zero Waste, the New Zealand Government The first councils to adopt Zero Waste targets (in 1998)
recognised the validity of the Zero Waste campaign and were Opotiki District Council and Christchurch City
took the first step away from management, to elimina- Council – the early adopters in the Zero Waste story, and
tion of waste. No other country had gone so far as to two of the most successful. Christchurch adopted Zero
make Zero Waste a national goal. Waste independently of the Zero Waste campaign. As
part of the campaign, presentations were made to
The Zero Waste campaign in New Zealand has been councils, Rotary Clubs, public meetings, workshops and
supported by three key strategic initiatives. conferences around the country and the Zero Waste
message began to filter out to other communities. In
1. Supporting the Community Sector 1999 Zero Waste New Zealand challenged the rest of
New Zealand’s 74 district and city councils to adopt
There is an active community sector in New Zealand led
‘Zero Waste by 2015’ targets, offering the first ten that
by practical, far-sighted individuals who have tried to fill
accepted the challenge, technical, networking and
the vacuum resulting from the ‘hands-off’ Government
financial support. The response was enthusiastic and by
style of the 1980’s and taken ownership of problems in
mid 2000, 25 councils had committed to Zero Waste. No
their communities. These people intuitively understand
further funding was provided after this time but coun-
the power of Zero Waste as a motivator - and the need
cils kept on adopting Zero Waste targets and now 51%
for urgent change.They have an urgency to stop wasted
have done so. The momentum continues with more
resources filling up landfills - and instead use them to
councils indicating their intention of adopting Zero
create local jobs and small businesses.
Waste targets in the near future.
These people know that recycling and resource recov-
ery on their own are not enough to create a Zero Waste
Criteria for Councils adopting Zero Waste policies
society. They see and deal with a growing avalanche of
developed by Zero Waste New Zealand Trust in
non-recoverable materials on a daily basis and know that
1999:
the solution lies with product design and Extended
Producer Responsibility. But they also know that action a) A minuted resolution from a full Council meeting
must be taken to recover materials and products that confirms Council’s commitment to a target of zero
can be reused and recycled, and that each community waste to landfill by 2015, with a review in 2010 (to
must build the infrastructure for a sustainable materials allow Council to re-evaluate the Zero Waste target
economy at the local level. in relation to its obligations under the Local Gov-
The community pioneers have been under-funded and, ernment Act, Amendment No. 4)
in the past, often dismissed as fringe elements. Zero
b) A commitment is made to full and open commu-
Waste New Zealand Trust with the support, and often
nity consultation and ownership of a Zero Waste
alongside, Community Employment Group has given
strategy involving community, council and business
these groups recognition, technical support, mentoring,
sector partnerships.
networking, and seed-grants. The national network and
campaign has helped validate their work and given them
encouragement in an often isolated and unsupportive
environment. This growing credibility has enabled other
funders and local authorities, to recognise the potential
of these groups to create sustainable jobs and added
their support and credibility to the community
groups’ work.
There are over 40 community groups working in some
way towards Zero Waste and they have become signifi-
cant players in waste reduction in New Zealand. A
number of these groups are currently establishing the
Zero Waste Community Enterprise Network (ZWCEN)
under the umbrella of Zero Waste New Zealand Trust.
2. Challenging and Supporting Local Authorities
The second main strategy has been to promote the
vision of Zero Waste to decision makers in local authori-
ties. The adoption of Zero Waste strategies by city and
district councils has been one of the most visible
successes of the campaign.
9Key to the success of the Zero Waste New Zealand Group eg The Western Australian Government’s
campaign has been the requirement for councils to ‘WAste 2020 Draft Strategy: Towards zero waste by
adopt a Zero Waste target with a date at a full Council 2020’, ‘Creating Wealth from Waste15, etc.
meeting to ensure there is a high level of understanding
and commitment at all levels. By adopting it at political • Establishing the Zero Waste Working Party, with
level, and documenting it in council minutes, the policy representatives from Zero Waste councils, commu-
remains firm, even if staff members move on. Political nity groups and recyclers to provide feedback and
support empowers staff to think outside the square and input for the Waste Minimisation and Management
to innovate in ways not previously possible. Working Group.
A survey of the first 20 councils found five key reasons13 • Supporting‘The Road to Zero Waste’ series of
why councils have chosen to adopt Zero Waste. workshops organised by Russ Louden and Gerard
Gillespie of Waste Works Ltd in 1999.
• The Zero Waste philosophy itself – 10 out of the 20
gave this as being the main reason • Inviting the Minister for the Environment to launch
the draft Waste Strategy for discussion at the Zero
• Funding – 6 gave this as the main reason. For many Waste New Zealand conference in Kaitaia (Decem-
councils this funding provided the only source of ber 2000).
discretionary funding that they could access to
implement change. • Writing ‘The End of Waste; Zero Waste by 2020’ as
resource material to assist the Zero Waste Network
• Necessity – 5 cited the necessity of finding alterna- make submissions on the Waste Strategy.
tives to landfill disposal, particularly due to the
imminent closure of local landfills • Bringing international Zero Waste experts16
specialising in areas such as economics, waste
• Public support – 3 cited public support for the legislation, resource recovery systems, community
Zero Waste philosophy sector involvement, local authority leadership and
industry programmes, to New Zealand to speak at
• To support existing waste reduction efforts – 3 saw
workshops and conferences and meet with
the adoption of Zero Waste as a logical extension
Ministry for the Environment staff.
of their existing waste minimisation activities.
Other reasons that have been cited since the survey SO WHERE ARE WE AT?
include environmental protection (especially important
Over half the councils in New Zealand have adopted
in tourist areas), job creation, and a growing acceptance
Zero Waste, a large number of community initiatives are
of Zero Waste as a legitimate and effective motivator
working towards Zero Waste and a national vision of
for change.
‘Towards Zero Waste’ is in place - but how well are Zero
Waste communities really doing two, three or four years
3. Lobbying Government down the track?
The third strategy of the Zero Waste New Zealand
The results are varied17. Some communities have rock-
campaign has involved lobbying Government on behalf
eted ahead, adopting the vision, involving community,
of the Zero Waste Network. This has involved all sorts of
developing infrastructure, changing the language and
activities over the years including:
doing everything within their power and resources to
• Compiling ‘Zero Waste New Zealand: Profile of a work towards the goal – but a small number have done
National Campaign’, a document to provide up to very little, carrying on with business as usual.
date information from the Zero Waste Network as
In between these extremes there are many communities
input for the government’s draft waste Strategy
that started off well but lost enthusiasm after the New
‘Towards a National Waste Minimisation Strategy’14
Zealand Waste Strategy was shelved as a priority issue
• Taking part in the Government appointed Waste for Government. A lot of energy and goodwill went into
Minimisation and Management Working Group the submission process by people from all over the
(Don Riesterer and Warren Snow). country (and overseas) proposing ideas and strategies
for New Zealand to move towards sustainability. The
• Providing best practice international examples to end result of this process was a document that provided,
the Waste Minimisation and Management Working as one Canadian waste legislation expert put it, a ‘wish
list’ but no real measures to actually reduce waste. The
13
Zero Waste New Zealand: Profile of a National Campaign. September 2000
14
Ministry for the Environment. December 2000
15
Robin Murray. Demos 1999
16
Robin Murray (UK) Dominic Hogg (UK), Tom Galimberti (Canada), Andy Moore (UK), Mal Williams (Wales),Tachi Kiuchi (Japan), Robert Joy
(Australia),Vaughan Levitzke (Australia), Eric Lombardi (USA), Gary Liss (USA), Dan Knapp (USA) Jim Malcolm (Australia)
17
Zero Waste Council Report, July 2002. Zero Waste New Zealand Trust
10burden for this failure has fallen firmly and squarely on through the planning process. It can take time for
the shoulders of communities at the end of the pipe. research to be carried out, existing contracts to expire,
Three years after the release of the Government’s draft pilot projects to be implemented and tested, new
Waste Strategy New Zealand seems little further down infrastructure to be built and resources allocated. Some
the track towards introducing the necessary legislative communities that have taken the longest time to
and economic incentives to move’‘Towards Zero Waste implement their Zero Waste strategies have turned out
and a sustainable New Zealand’ than when the process to be amongst the most effective. A good example is
started. Mackenzie District that adopted its policy in November
1999 and launched its impressive Zero Waste
Despite disappointment at the lack of progress, commu- programme in June 2002.
nities throughout New Zealand are doing what they can
to move towards Zero Waste and some are having
outstanding success. Waste diversion figures of 60% - Roles change
85% are being quoted by a small number of communi- Zero Waste challenges the whole focus of ‘waste man-
ties. The questions that now most worry industry agement’’– including the roles of waste managers of
observers are whether these communities will be able Council staff. For example, engineers may still be
to sustain their success if key people burn out due to responsible for managing existing landfilling activities,
lack of resourcing and disillusionment. Others are but are given free reign to think outside the box and
asking whether the waste industry will put aside the develop completely new systems and processes.
work of repositioning itself as responsible resource Engineers from a number of Zero Waste councils have
managers and get back to the profitable business of taken up this challenge, and are proving to be significant
burying waste now that there’s little political will to change - makers within their communities. Opotiki,
back up the Waste Strategy. Section 3, the Road to Zero Dunedin and Mackenzie demonstrate this. Sometimes
Waste for New Zealand, gives recommendations for even job titles change. For instance in Porirua, Rodney
taking the Waste Strategy to the next phase of action. and Tauranga, Waste Minimisation Officers have become
Zero Waste Coordinators and Palmerston North now has
LESSONS LEARNED a Zero Waste Strategy Leader. These changes signal a
major shift in thinking.
What happens when a community adopts a
Zero Waste policy?
Waste becomes a community issue
It inspires new thinking A whole new range of constituencies are brought into
the ‘waste arena’ once Zero Waste is adopted as the goal.
Adopting a Zero Waste goal creates the opportunity to Waste suddenly becomes an issue and responsibility for
re-think the way waste is viewed and managed. Support the whole community rather than just council staff. The
at the political level for what may previously have been solution requires the participation of all members of the
seen as a radical idea, provides permission for staff to community so new linkages and partnerships need to be
begin with a clean sheet and redesign local systems and formed – council, community and private sector. This
infrastructure to enable the community to work isn’t always an easy process but it results in improved
together towards the new goal. This approach helps community ownership of the problem and the
remove obstacles that may have been perceived to be best results.
there before. There is a surprising degree of agreement
on what has to be done once there is agreement on
Zero Waste as the goal. Support comes from surprising places
As a holistic (or systems) approach to changing resource
Every community takes a different approach flows, Zero Waste attracts the attention of people
working in areas not normally associated with waste.
There is no recipe for getting to Zero Waste – each For example, the New Zealand Institute of Architects
community around New Zealand has taken a different recently endorsed the principle of working towards
route – and this is healthy as there are so many variables Zero Waste Cities18. Others who have endorsed Zero
to be considered in each region and district. A lot has Waste professionally include the Engineers for Social
been learned by sharing of ideas and visits between Responsibility, the Tourism Industry Association’s Green
Zero Waste communities. Globe 21 programme and the New Zealand Federation
of Business and Professional Women. Parliament also has
It may take time embraced the concept and is beginning to ‘walk the talk’
by implementing its own Zero Waste strategy for
After a Zero Waste policy has been adopted, it may take
Parliament buildings.
time to see much change, and its effects filter down
18
Architext. Issue 93, April 2003
11Innovation flourishes
FOUR CASE STUDIES
The road to Zero Waste is not yet fully mapped and
there are many blind spots and obstacles ahead.
OPOTIKI – leading from the front
However once the goal has been set, the obstacles
become challenges. All around New Zealand innovation (population 9,200)
is flourishing in communities that have adopted Zero
Waste. At grassroots, council, private and corporate Opotiki District Council was the first council to take up
level, solutions are emerging in response to the setting the challenge and in September 1998 adopted Zero
of the Zero Waste goal. Good examples are the in-vessel Waste to landfill by 2010, starting on a journey that has
composting units developed in Kaikoura and Palmerston seen waste plummet from 10,000 tonnes to 1,500
North providing low cost solutions for green and food tonnes to landfill per annum – an 85% reduction in five
waste processing. years. The driver behind Opotiki’s decision was the
imminent closure of its landfill and the no-win decision
it faced of either developing a new landfill site at a cost
New jobs are created of over $2 million, or trucking waste out of the district
Many new jobs have been created as a result of Zero at a cost of around $100/tonne. Adopting a Zero Waste
Waste policies. This is because recycling and resource policy enabled Council staff to take a fresh look at the
recovery are job-rich compared to landfilling. As the problem and start looking for solutions to eliminate
Grass Roots Recycling Network’s report, ‘Wasting and waste rather than just manage it. A secondary driver was
Recycling in the USA’, puts it “On a per-ton basis, sorting the potential to create new self-supporting local jobs
and processing recyclables alone sustains ten times and businesses, and so far five full-time and four part-
more jobs than landfilling or incineration.”19 A survey of time unsubsidised positions have been created within
councils with Zero Waste policies in 2002 pinpointed council and another two positions by a private
the creation of over 280 full-time and 17 part-time new contractor.
jobs as a result of their policies.20 The figure is
The main reasons for Opotiki’s success are that Council
higher now.
took a strong leadership role, developed a whole system
approach, and invested the necessary resources to make
Investment shifts to resource recovery its programmes work.
One of the most visible results of many councils’ Zero
Specifically it:
Waste policies has been the investment in new resource
recovery infrastructure. Local authority waste managers • Imposed charges at
and planners have diverted or allocated significant the landfill (1999)
financial resources into many new purpose-built recy-
cling and resource recovery centres – many run by • Established a
community groups. Some major facilities are currently kerbside collection
going through the planning process. For further informa- of recyclables
tion on these see the recently released report - ‘Re- (2000)
sourceful Communities. A Guide to Resource Recovery Residual waste and
• Reduced the size of the recyclables collection
Centres in New Zealand’.21
residual rubbish bag from
75 litres to 25 litres (2001)
But communities can only achieve so much
• Established a resource recovery infrastructure
Communities aiming for Zero Waste are aware that there network throughout the district starting with a
is only so much they can do. Without intervention satellite drive through centre in Waihau Bay (107
upstream through government legislation and industry km from Opotiki) in 2001, then the main Resource
responsibility there is no way to get to Zero. Much of Recovery Centre in Opotiki township in 2002, and
the progress to date has been at the expense of enthusi- finally a second satellite drive through centre in Te
astic individuals and their communities. There is an Kaha (65 km away) in 2002.22
increasing expectation that manufacturers must play
their part – and that government must take a leadership The total cost of their Zero Waste strategy ($460,000 to
role to make sure this happens. establish 3 resource recovery facilities) was approxi-
mately $3,000 more than what it would have cost to
continue to landfill waste. For that $3,000, they have
created local jobs; massively reduced waste and have
19
Wasting and Recycling in the USA. 2000
20
Brenda Platt and David Morris.The Economic Benefits of Recycling. Institute for Local Self Reliance. February 1993
21
See Zero Waste and Envision New Zealand websites
22
For further information on Opotiki’s resource recovery facilities see
‘Resourceful Communities; A Guide to Resource Recovery Centres in New Zealand’. Envision New Zealand, July 2003
12purchased a number of community assets. Opotiki • Mining of old parts of the landfill to extract recy-
District Council is now aiming for a 90% diversion from clable material and create more space.
landfill by June 2004.
• IWK has the support of the community in its drive
for Zero Waste and has created nine full time jobs
KAIKOURA – Partnering with the community through its activities, when there were only two
(population 5,000) people employed at the landfill four years ago.
Kaikoura District Council was the third council to adopt
MACKENZIE – Planning for a whole system
a Zero Waste policy in March 1999. Driving this
approach
decision was a rapidly filling landfill, a strong
environmental ethos (driven by the income derived (population 4,000)
from the over one million visitors who come to enjoy
the environment) and the need to create employment MacKenzie District Council was the thirteenth council
for individuals at the bottom of the social heap. to adopt Zero Waste in November 1999, choosing a
target date of 2014. Like Kaikoura it has a seasonal
Kaikoura responded to its Zero Waste challenge by tourist influx necessitating a waste minimisation
forming a joint venture company with local community strategy that worked as well in the high volume tourist
group, Kaikoura Wastebusters. The new venture, called season as in the off season.
Innovative Waste Kaikoura (IWK), was given
responsibility for managing all the town’s waste services Council staff spent a significant amount of time running
and implementing its Zero Waste policy. Kaikoura faces financial models, to assess its options and the financial
a problem common to all small tourist towns – how to impact of each option. Each option was also compared
stretch income from its narrow rating base to cover the to how well it would deliver on the Zero Waste goal.
infrastructure requirements of a booming tourist trade – The outcome of this planning was the launch of a range
including waste services. Innovation has been the key, of new waste minimisation systems in June 2002
and IWK has lived up to its name developing low cost including:
solutions to drive waste diversion to its current level of • A new 3-bag kerbside collection system for house-
56.8% by volume (and increasing). These include: hold residents – one for recyclables, one for
• Weekly kerbside organics and one for residual waste. This is the
recyclables collection first of its kind in New Zealand.
for town residents • The construction and in-house operation of three
(residual waste has to new Resource Recovery Centres in each of the
be self-hauled to the main townships of Twizel, Tekapo and Fairlie.
resource recovery
centre or a bin-hire • A comprehensive education programme (devel-
company employed) oped by Mid Canterbury Wastebusters)
• Fortnightly recyclables Enclosed Composting Unit • The installation of a Vertical Composting Unit to
pick up for outlying areas process large volumes (47% of the waste stream) of
food waste and green waste into compost. This
• Twice weekly recyclables collection for business includes a large amount of seasonal food waste
• Skip-bin hire for the construction industry originating from the hermitage in Mt Cook Na-
tional Park.
• IWK designed and built enclosed composting unit
to handle greenwaste and foodwaste • Financial incentives to separate waste
• Landfill cell storage for those materials that are Key to the success of
currently uneconomic to recycle but could have MacKenzie’s system has been
value in the future its meticulous planning and its
utilisation of the full range of
• A thriving re-use shop skills at its disposal from the
political skills of the Mayor to
• Use of crushed recovered glass as a filter medium the communication skills of
for leachate control. Ashburton’s Mid Canterbury
• Compaction and baling of residual waste once Wastebusters, the engineering
recyclables have been removed to maximise skills of the Solid Waste
landfill space Brochure
13Manager and the financial skills of the Accountant. TOWARDS ZERO WASTE - THE DANGERS AHEAD!
MacKenzie’s strategy has truly been a team effort and is
If nurtured and supported by Government the commu-
already resulting in waste diversion of around 70%, just
nity and council-led Zero Waste campaign could put
one year after implementation.23
New Zealand in the forefront of sustainability. But
dangers lie ahead if Government continues a hands-off
DUNEDIN – Taking the long term approach approach and leaves waste to the ‘market’ forces. These
(Population 120,000) dangers include:
Dunedin City Council adopted its Zero Waste goal in • Mission fatigue on the part of councils and commu-
October 1999 and set about developing a long-term nity groups that have been leading the charge but
strategic implementation tool to help it achieve this. are out of energy and finances to carry on
Staff worked in partnership with Zero Waste Advisors • Consolidation of the waste industry as it fights the
from Waste Not Ltd and Meritec to develop the ‘Dunedin threat posed by increasingly effective community
Zero Waste Strategy Tool’, a computer spreadsheet waste reduction initiatives
system that provides a framework for turning the vision
of zero waste into practical initiatives. A suggested • Ineffective use of resources as national communi-
implementation programme was devised for Dunedin cation campaigns fail to capitalize on established
and the tool’‘genericised’ for use by other councils, community campaigns and the national Zero Waste
becoming’‘ZAP - Zero Waste Action Plan (see Appendix movement
4 for further details).
• Cynicism by the public at the lack of integrity
One of the between the vision of the Government’s Waste
priorities Strategy and its commitment to achieving it
identified through
the process was • Loss of New Zealand’s lead. Zero Waste is taking off
the establishment overseas - and New Zealand’s example has played a
of a Resource big part in this. It has been’‘the inspiration’ for
Recovery Centre. many other countries.
An upgrade of the
Green Island
Landfill to include
this and a Transfer
Resource Recovery Centre
Station had been
on the books for a number of years but the adoption of
a Zero Waste target and implementation plan changed
the emphasis towards more resource recovery. In 2002
a purpose-built Resource Recovery Centre was opened
at the Green Island landfill24. This was followed in
March 2003 with the launch of a new kerbside
collection of recyclables.
With these initiatives in place Dunedin City Council
now estimates that it is recovering around 28% of its
residential waste.
23
The “MacKenzie Model” of solid waste management. MacKenzie District Council 2002
24
See Dunedin Case study in ‘Resourceful Communities. A Guide to Resource Recovery Centres in New Zealand.’ Envision 2003
14• Zero Waste Ireland
4 WHO ELSE IS GOING FOR
ZERO? • Zero Waste New Zealand Trust
www.zerowaste.co.nz
Zero Waste is rapidly spreading around the globe. Its
clear and uncompromising message is being embraced • Zero Waste North (Canada)
by different cultures – and at all levels of society – from www.footprintbc.com/zerowastenorth/
NGOs and recycling industry coalitions to local munici- A new organisation, Zero Waste International Alliance, is
palities, state, regional and national governments (see also being formed to link these campaigns, towns and
Appendix 2 for more information). cities and to help establish internationally recognised
Zero Waste policies have been adopted in: benchmarks and standards for Zero Waste.
www.zwia.org
Australia: Canberra ACT, Western Australia, South
Australia, Eurobodalla Shire Council, in New South Wales BUSINESSES
Canada: Toronto, Regional District of Kootenay Bound- Major international businesses that have adopted Zero
ary (British Columbia) , Regional district of Nanaimo Waste targets include:
(British Columbia)
• Ricoh Group
England: Bath and North East Summerset Council
• Toyota
India: Kovalam
• Interface Carpets
Philippines: Candon City- Ilocos Sur, Municipality of
San Isidro- Nueva Ecija, Municipality of Pilar –Sorsogon, • Bell Canada
Municipality of Linamon- Lanao del Norte, Municipality
• Kimberley Clark
of Sigma- Capiz
• DuPont Inc
USA: California, San Francisco City, Del Norte County –
California, Santa Cruz- California, Seattle-Washington, • Hewlett-Packard
Carrboro – North Carolina
• Honda Motor Corp
Growing numbers of campaigns run by NGOs and
recycling organisations are also promoting the Zero • Xerox Corp
Waste message around the world: These companies are becoming more competitive than
• Californian Resource Recovery Association their competitors - not only by drastically reducing
www.crra.com/newmill.html waste disposal costs but also by promoting sustainable
business practices and capturing customer loyalty.
• GAIA - Global Anti Incineration Alliance
www.no-burn.org • • •
• Grass Roots Recycling Network (USA) “The whole concept of industry’s dependence on
www.grrn.org ever faster once through flow of materials from
depletion to pollution is turning from a hallmark
• KWMN and waste Movement (Korea) of progress into a nagging signal of
www.waste21.or.kr/ or www.grrn.org/zerowaste/ uncompetitiveness.” Paul Hawken, Natural
kwmn.htm Capitalism
• Nature Conservation Council of New South Wales, • • •
Australia. www.nccnsw.org.au/waste/context/
• Target Zero Canada www.targetzerocanada.org/
Towards Zero (Scotland) www.towardszero.com/
• Waste Not Asia www.grrn.org/zerowaste/articles/
waste_not_asia.html
• ZERI Institute www.zeri.org
• Zero Waste Alliance (USA) www.zerowaste.org
• Zero Waste America www.zerowasteamerica.org
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