SAFETY FEATURES FIXING FOR THE FUTURE: RIGHT TO REPAIR - COMPOSTABILITY GUIDANCE - WasteMINZ

 
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SAFETY FEATURES FIXING FOR THE FUTURE: RIGHT TO REPAIR - COMPOSTABILITY GUIDANCE - WasteMINZ
OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF THE WASTE MANAGEMENT INSTITUTE NZ
                   MARCH 2020 \ ISSUE 174 \ $ 9.00

 FIXING FOR
THE FUTURE:
   RIGHT TO
     REPAIR
                              THE TRUTH
  SAFETY                      ABOUT BIN
                              AUDITS
FEATURES
                              COMPOSTABILITY
                              GUIDANCE
  BEHAVIOUR CHANGE/WASTE DISPOSAL LEVY SUBMISSIONS
SAFETY FEATURES FIXING FOR THE FUTURE: RIGHT TO REPAIR - COMPOSTABILITY GUIDANCE - WasteMINZ
WASTEMINZ MEMBERS
P L ATIN U M                                  S ILVER
                                              ADSTAFF PERSONNEL
                                              adstaff.co.nz
               AUCKLAND COUNCIL
                                              AURECON NZ
               aucklandcouncil.govt.nz
                                              aurecongroup.com

                                              CIVIC CONTRACTORS
                                              civcon.co.nz
GO L D
                                              COCO-COLA AMATIL
                                              ccamatil.co.nz
               3R GROUP
                                              FONTERRA
               3R.co.nz
                                              fonterra.com

                                              FOODSTUFFS NZ
               EARTHCARE ENVIRONMENTAL        foodstuffsnz.co.nz
               earthcarenz.co.nz              GEOFABRICS NZ
                                              geofabrics.co.nz

                                              MANCO
               ENVIRONZ
                                              manco.co.nz
               environz.co.nz
                                              NZ SAFETY BLACKWOODS
                                              nzsafetyblackwoods.co.nz
               O-I NEW ZEALAND                OJI FIBRE SOLUTIONS
               o-i.com                        ojifs.com

                                              OMARUNUI LANDFILL
                                              hastingsdc.govt.nz
               MINISTRY FOR THE ENVIRONMENT
               mfe.govt.nz                    PATTLE DELAMORE PARTNERS
                                              pdp.co.nz

                                              PLASBACK
               SMART ENVIRONMENTAL            plasback.co.nz
               smartenvironmental.co.nz       PROGRESSIVE ENTERPRISES
                                              progressive.co.nz

                                              SCION RESEARCH
               SULO
                                              scionresearch.com
               sulo.co.nz
                                              SIMS RECYCLING SOLUTIONS
                                              apac.simsrecycling.com
               TONKIN + TAYLOR                STANTEC
               tonkin.co.nz                   mwhglobal.co.nz

                                              THE PACKAGING FORUM
                                              packagingforum.org.nz
               VISY RECYCLING NZ
               visy.co.nz                     WASTENET SOUTHLAND
                                              wastenet.org.nz

                                              WSP OPUS
               WASTE MANAGEMENT NZ            wsp-opus.co.nz
               wastemanagement.co.nz
SAFETY FEATURES FIXING FOR THE FUTURE: RIGHT TO REPAIR - COMPOSTABILITY GUIDANCE - WasteMINZ
ON THE COVER CLEANING UP
   NZ’S E-WASTE LEGISLATION

                      CHIEF EXECUTIVE
   Janine Brinsdon \ +64 9 476 7172
         janine@wasteminz.org.nz
        SECTOR PROJECTS MANAGER
           Nic Quilty \ +64 9 476 7167
              nic@wasteminz.org.nz

                                                12
        SECTOR PROJECTS MANAGER
    Jenny Marshall \ +64 9 476 7164
          jenny@wasteminz.org.nz
   CORPORATE SERVICES MANAGER
          CJ Dooner \ +64 9 476 7162
               cj@wasteminz.org.nz
       COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER
      Jill Marshall \ +64 22 697 1267
              jill@wasteminz.org.nz
            SUSTAINABILIT Y ADVISOR
                                               IN THIS ISSUE
Sarah Pritchett \ +64 21 0825 4606
        sarahp@wasteminz.org.nz
                                               12
                      DESIGN, REVOLVE
Leanne Lassman \ +64 21 267 3885               HOW TO TACKLE OUR MOUNTING                                               26
  leanne@electrichedgehog.co.nz                E-WASTE PROBLEM
                                               Right to Repair legislation aims
                         T +64 9 476 7162
             PO Box 305426, Triton Plaza
                                               to extend electricals’ lifespan        34
                        North Shore 0757       to reduce e-waste. Our Product         WASTE DISPOSAL LEVY CHANGES
     Unit 2, 5 Orbit Drive, Rosedale 0632      Stewardship Sector Group               As the consultation over
                             New Zealand       explains what it means for NZ.         proposed changes to the Waste

                                               16
                     wasteminz.org.nz                                                 Disposal Levy begins, WasteMINZ
                                                                                      members have their say.
  WasteMINZ is the leading professional        THREE KEY SAFETY FEATURES
  body for waste management, resource
        recovery and contaminated land
                                               Terre Nicholson, Danny McClure         38
                                               and Hugh Cherrill offer three sector   WHEN DID ZERO WASTE
management in New Zealand. We deliver
                                               groups’ perspectives on critical
     value to our members through the                                                 BECOME ZERO PLASTIC?
   shaping and sharing of policy and the       health and safety matters.
                                                                                      Lisa Eve makes a plea for more
 development of industry good practice.
 WasteMINZ publishes revolve magazine
    four times a year. It plays a vital role
                                               26                                     understanding about plastics
                                                                                      as more New Zealanders strive
                                               BEHIND THE SCENES AT THE AUDIT         for Zero Waste goals.
       in ensuring our members are up-
      to-date with the latest in industry
                                               The dirty details of researching
    news, policy and legislative changes       the nation’s recycling habits for
   as well as innovations and advances.        The Truth About Plastics Recycling
 revolve magazine is a forum for positive      report, described by Sunshine Yates.   REGULARS
       sector debate and discussion. The                                              02 MEMBERS
     articles contained in revolve do not
       necessarily represent the views of
                                               32                                     04 FROM JANINE'S DESK
   WasteMINZ or the WasteMINZ Board.           COMPOSTABILITY: A SOLUTION             05 YOUR BOARD
                                               TO THE CONFUSION                       06 SECTOR GROUPS
                                               As greenwashing of products and        11 MOVERS & SHAKERS
                                               packaging increases, WasteMINZ
                                                                                      35 RESEARCH UPDATE
                                               stepped in to provide clear
            ISSN 2324-5417 (Print)
                                               guidance for consumers and
                                                                                      36 FROM THE REGIONS
          ISSN 2324-5425 (Online)  
                                               commerce. The Organic Materials
                                               Sector Group explains.

                                                                                                                   20
SAFETY FEATURES FIXING FOR THE FUTURE: RIGHT TO REPAIR - COMPOSTABILITY GUIDANCE - WasteMINZ
Janine Brinsdon
                                                          Chief Executive, WasteMINZ
                                                          janine@wasteminz.org.nz

                                                          Talk to me +64 9 476 7172

                                 FROM JANINE'S DESK
                                 Welcome to the first issue of            Sword and Sweden’s waste-
                                 revolve for 2020, which ushers           to-energy programmes, to the
                                 in a new year, a new decade,             increasing momentum gathering
                                 and a fresh opportunity for              around community and consumer
                                 us to look to the future across          initiatives about climate change
                                 the waste management and                 and the wellbeing of the planet.
                                 resource recovery landscape.                 In New Zealand, WasteMINZ will
                                    January opened with a flurry          be at the forefront of legislative
                                 of activity for WasteMINZ, with a        changes that affect not just our
                                 series of workshops and webinars         industry but our families and futures
                                 rolled out in conjunction with           — the whole of NZ Inc. Updates
                                 the Ministry for the Environment         to the Basel Convention, Right
                                 to support members in their              to Repair legislation, the Waste
                                 responses to the Waste Disposal          Disposal Levy, safety in lithium
                                 Levy proposals. Four sector groups       battery disposal, government
                                 submitted group consultation             policy around packaging including
                                 documents, and we hope many of           the proposed container deposit

IN OUR NEXT ISSUE                you took the opportunity to voice        scheme and zero waste activities
                                 your opinions in this process of         — all will feature prominently
Providing leadership and         significant change and impact.           in our programme this year.
cohesion through the                Then, at the end of January, we           We will not, of course, neglect
recently released National       launched The Truth about Plastics        the sector-specific concerns and
Strategy to Manage Emerging
                                 Recycling — a report based on the        questions that you respond to so
Contaminants. Louis Tremblay
                                 intensive research carried out by        ably in your sector group steering
and Graham Sevicke-Jones
                                 the TAO Forum into the country’s         committees and working groups.
tell all.
                                 recycling habits. Aotearoa New           This work is core to our mutual
Jennifer Elliott highlights      Zealand sat up and listened with         success and we will be shining
the importance, impact and       the extensive media coverage             even more focus on these groups.
challenges of collaboration      generated by the report’s findings           A busy year lies ahead for all of
between councils on joint        — eye-opening to some, sobering          us. Your board, WasteMINZ team
projects.                        and thought-provoking to all.            and I are completely committed
                                    This is just the entry point          to ensuring that we represent and
If the waste levy increases,
                                 for agreements, legislation              reflect your interests and supporting
organic waste is a low hanging
                                 and changes that will underpin           you as members, sector groups and
fruit to divert from landfill.
Daniel Yallop asks what          WasteMINZ' every action this year        citizens of Aotearoa New Zealand.
investment and enablers          and beyond. The world as a whole         If you have any suggestions or
will be needed to ensure its     is challenging the globe’s waste         queries about this, please do get in
diversion is maximised.          issues daily, from China’s National      touch. I’m here to listen and to act.

4
SAFETY FEATURES FIXING FOR THE FUTURE: RIGHT TO REPAIR - COMPOSTABILITY GUIDANCE - WasteMINZ
HOW TO
                            Alice Grace
                            WasteMINZ Board
                                                                                   CONTACT
                            a.grace@morrisonlow.com                               YOUR BOARD
                                                                                   MEMBERS

YOUR BOARD
The latter months of 2019 saw                 Worker wellbeing is also key,
                                                                                      Wayne Plummer CHAIR
two new people appointed to               to ensure our people go home safe       wayne.plummer@environz.co.nz
the WasteMINZ board. I’m very             and want to stay in our industry.
proud to be one of them, along            This goes beyond health and
with my WasteMINZ colleague               safety compliance to initiatives to
Alec McNeil of Marlborough                manage worker fatigue and stress
District Council. It’s great to           or promote open communication
be part of a strong governance            around health and safety matters.
                                                                                     Parul Sood DEPUT Y CHAIR
group that represents a diverse               Our industry is increasingly
                                                                                 parul.sood@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz
range of WasteMINZ members.               in the spotlight, impacting the
   For me, being appointed to             work of all our sector groups.
the board is an opportunity to            Ensuring that we all hear and are
give back to the industry I love.         heard is critical, as was shown
Helping to address the challenges         in the recent submissions by
our industry faces is important           four of our sector groups to the
                                                                                        Darren Patterson
to me and a key part of being             Waste Disposal Levy Consultation
                                                                                darren@pattersonenvironmental.co.nz
on the WasteMINZ board.                   process. The programme of
   For example, the waste industry        webinars, meetings, workshops
has a role to play in reducing            and information flow provided
carbon emissions by embedding             by our WasteMINZ team and MfE
circular economy principles. We’ve        to members was an excellent
seen recently, in the research            example of working together,
                                                                                        Simonne Eldridge
and reports expanding our                 for the greater good of NZ Inc.
                                                                                       seldridge@tonkin.co.nz
understanding of how New Zealand              I’m thrilled to be a part of
recycles plastic launched by the          this vital organisation, and look
TAO Forum, that WasteMINZ is              forward to meeting you all at
at the forefront of this work.            our networking events and
   Our influence and knowledge            conference throughout the year.
will be brought to bear in similarly          Mā te wā
                                                                                           Alec McNeil
significant areas as the coming year
                                                                                  alec.mcneil@marlborough.govt.nz
rolls by. This includes responding
to the government’s roll-out of
a priority product stewardship
scheme and supporting initiatives
to educate and inform the
public and manufacturers about
                                                                                            Alice Grace
composting, recycling and even
                                                                                     a.grace@morrisonlow.com
their purchasing patterns.
SAFETY FEATURES FIXING FOR THE FUTURE: RIGHT TO REPAIR - COMPOSTABILITY GUIDANCE - WasteMINZ
SECTOR
        GROUPS
                                         Nic Quilty                  Jenny Marshall            Sarah Pritchett
            BEHAVIOUR CHANGE      Sector Projects Manager       Sector Projects Manager     Sustainability Advisor
                                   nic@wasteminz.org.nz         jenny@wasteminz.org.nz    sarahp@wasteminz.org.nz
                   TAO FORUM

               HEALTH + SAFET Y

         PRODUCT STEWARDSHIP      BEHAVIOUR
CONTAMINATED L AND MANAGEMENT     CHANGE
             DISPOSAL TO L AND
                                  #COMPLEATING
            ORGANIC MATERIALS
                                  The annual Love Food Hate Waste
                                  campaign in November focused
                                  on eating all your food from root
                                  to stem — aka #Compleating:
                                   Five key foods to compleat —
                                  potato skins and peels, broccoli               ZERO WASTE
                                  stalks, bread crusts, apple peels              CLEANING
                                  and all of the cauliflower                     Planning is well underway for
                                   Target audience — 18 to 30 year              Plastic Free July 2020, with a focus
                                  olds, living independently and                 on Zero Waste Cleaning including:
                                  learning new cooking skills                     How to use products like vinegar
                                   Standout recipes — smashed                   and citrus peels for cleaning
                                  potatoes and apple cider                        A recipe book with zero waste
                                  vinegar from apple peels                       cleaning recipes (similar to the
                                   Christmas media coverage                     Easy Choice Family Kai booklets)
                                  — how to eat your Christmas                     Digital downloads and printed
                                  leftovers and not buying too                   copies for all audiences
                                  much in the first place!                       WasteMINZ members are
                                                                                 encouraged to consider running
                                                                                 some short workshops for their
                                                                                 staff or the public, promoting
                                                                                 zero waste cleaning ideas.

   6
SAFETY FEATURES FIXING FOR THE FUTURE: RIGHT TO REPAIR - COMPOSTABILITY GUIDANCE - WasteMINZ
ORGANIC
                                                                                     MATERIALS
                                                                                     NEW STEERING COMMITTEE

                                                                                     Re-elected
                                                                                     Chris Purchas (Tonkin + Taylor)
                                                                                     Daniel O’Carroll (Living Earth)
                                                                                     Daniel Yallop (Morrison Low)
                                                                                     Dawn Smith (Scion)

                                                                                     New members
                                                                                     Joe Buist (Revital Group)
                                                                                     Karen Ashby (Global Composting
                                                                                     Solutions)
                                                                                     Lisa Hack (SLR Consulting)
                                                                                     Liz Stanway (Xtreme Zero Waste)
TAO FORUM                                                                            Paul McGuire (Envirofert)

RETHINKING RUBBISH AND                                                               Richard Fine from Biopak has been
RECYCLING BIN AUDITS                                                                 appointed as expert advisor to the
                                                                                     committee, to ensure members with
The Ministry for the Environment          A second focus of the research
                                                                                     compostable packaging interests are
and the TAO Forum jointly funded          was to determine what packaging
                                                                                     represented.
research into household rubbish           design features are impeding the
and recycling behaviours via              recyclability of plastic packaging         ❤ Huge thanks to Joanne MacGregor,
bin audits of 897 rubbish and             and what impact this is having.            who stepped down in 2019, especially
recycling bins at eight council           Along with the Associate Minister          for all her work on Clopyralid.
locations around the country.             for the Environment Eugenie Sage,
                                                                                     COMPOSTABLE PRODUCTS
This was New Zealand’s first ever         WasteMINZ launched the first set
                                                                                     FACTSHEET
detailed dive into recycling bins,        of results into the recyclability of
                                          plastic packaging on Wednesday,            The factsheet on material
to find out exactly what Kiwis are
                                          29 January at Villa Maria in Auckland.     composition of compostable products
recycling and to what extent we
are contaminating our recycling                                                      covering bio-based product claims
                                          Read more in our report on page 26,
bins with non-recyclable items.                                                      has been reviewed by the Commerce
                                          and pull out the data on page 29.
                                                                                     Commission, designed for maximum
                                                                                     impact and released at the end of

HEALTH AND SAFETY                                                                    February 2020.

                                                                                     MAGAZINE COVERS
LOW ENTRY COLLECTION                      the Trainers delivery has been
VEHICLES                                  reviewed by a working group and            WasteMINZ is working with the NZ

                                          is out for consultation now.               Magazine Publishers Association on
A working group is reviewing the Low
                                                                                     a survey of their members to discern
Entry Collection Vehicles module from
                                          FIRES CAUSED BY BATTERIES                  whether soft plastic or compostable
the Health and Safety guidelines: for
                                          & COMPACTION                               plastic is the most suitable option
the solid waste and resource recovery
                                          A regular discussion topic at Steering     for magazine wrap. This survey
sector – parts one, two, three, four
                                          Committee meetings is the challenge        will provide information on home
and five, for consultation in March.
                                                                                     composting in New Zealand and
                                          presented by the increasing number
KCTL TRAIN THE TRAINER                                                               enable the waste sector to get a better
                                          of truck fires due to batteries
                                                                                     understanding of the number of Kiwis
The content of the Kerbside               and compaction. See more in our
                                                                                     who have home composts which can
Collection Traffic Leader Train           Research section on page 35.
                                                                                     take packaging.

                                        MARCH 2020 \ WASTEMINZ.ORG.NZ \          7
SAFETY FEATURES FIXING FOR THE FUTURE: RIGHT TO REPAIR - COMPOSTABILITY GUIDANCE - WasteMINZ
CONTAMINATED LAND MANAGEMENT
      CLM STEERING COMMITTEE                    CONTAMINATED SITE
      ELECTIONS                                 OPERATIONS CERTIFICATE                              CL M
      Elections are being held in March to      The Working Group are now trialling
                                                                                                    S T R E A M AT
      be in place in late April. Do put your
                                                                                                    CO N F E R E N CE
                                                CSOP training content. Three pilot
      hat in the ring when the Call for         training sessions are due in March/                 WasteMINZ received
      Nominations is released; historically,    April in Auckland, Wellington and                   fantastic feedback on
      spaces have been hotly contested.                                                             the CLM stream at the
                                                Christchurch. These will be open to
                                                                                                    WasteMINZ’ conference,
                                                WasteMINZ and ALGA members.
      WASTE DISPOSAL LEVY                                                                           especially:
      SUBMISSION AND WEBSITE                    ASBESTOS WASTE                                       ‘Growing your
      RESOURCES                                                                                     contaminated land
                                                In January 2019, WasteMINZ released
      The CLM Sector Group’s submission                                                             risk assessment skills’
                                                the Waste industry guidelines to
      on the waste disposal levy is available                                                       workshop
                                                manage the collection, receipt,
      on wasteminz.org.nz.                                                                           panel discussions
                                                transport and disposal of asbestos
                                                                                                     bioavailability sessions
      Also available on WasteMINZ’              waste.
                                                                                                    and bioavailability
      website:
                                                Due to national inconsistencies in                  workshop
       How do I find a Suitably Qualified
                                                approaches to the transportation
      and Experienced Practitioner –
                                                and landfilling of asbestos
      SQEP?
                                                contaminated soils, the guidelines
       Why do I need a Suitably Qualified
                                                do not include a section addressing
      and Experienced Practitioner?
                                                the management of disposal of soil
      RESIDENTIAL LEAD                          containing low concentrations of
                                                                                                    A big thank you to the
                                                asbestos.
      The Residential Lead Working                                                                  working group members
      Group is continuing to engage             A working group has developed                       who made it all happen!
      actively with key stakeholders. After     a position statement, to initiate
                                                                                                    We hope to see you again
      contacting all the district health        development of a consistent risk-                   in Rotorua in October.
      boards around the country, the            based approach to managing the
      group is very excited to count a DHB      disposal of soils containing low
      representative among its numbers.
                                                concentrations of asbestos, to go out
                                                for consultation in March.

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      8
SAFETY FEATURES FIXING FOR THE FUTURE: RIGHT TO REPAIR - COMPOSTABILITY GUIDANCE - WasteMINZ
A WASTED OPPORTUNITY
           THE CASE FOR CHANGING THE WASTE LEVY
        In New Zealand we discard
        15.5      million
                                                                right
                                                                now                     PRODUCT
                                                                                        STEWARDSHIP
        tonnes of waste each year                               we only recycle

                 3,200kg                                        28%
        That’s

                                                                of this waste.
        for every man, woman                                    Is that good enough

                                                                                        PRIORITY PRODUCTS
                                                                for a CLEAN and
        & child in the country!                                 GREEN NATION?

                      WHY DOES           93                          29
                                              of Kiwis believe             yet only

                      IT MATTER?         %
                                              waste & recycling
                                              is an important
                                              environmental issue,
                                                                      %
                                                                           29% think
                                                                           we do a
                                                                           good job!
                                                                                        The Product Stewardship Sector
          IF WE EXPAND THE WASTE LEVY, BY 2025 WE CAN...                                Group is eagerly awaiting MfE’s
            DELIVER          DIVERT           CREATE             INCREASE               announcement on its proposal for
          $
                 500            3                up to

                                              9,000 60%
                                                                     our recycling
                                                                        rate to
                                                                                        regulated product stewardship for six
          MILLION           MILLION
                   in net    tonnes of         jobs
                  benefit   waste from                                 and
                                                                     become
                                                                                        priority products.
           to the           landfill
          economy            per annum                               a world

                                                                                        1 TYRES
             per annum                                                leader

                  $                                                                     2 ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONIC               B.I.G. (BATTERY
                 READ THE REPORT at bit.ly/WastedOpportunity                                                                      INDUSTRY GROUP)
                                                                                           PRODUCTS
                                                                                                                                  B.I.G., an industry-led project to
                                                                                        3 AGRICHEMICALS AND THEIR
      DISPOSAL TO LAND                                                                     CONTAINERS
                                                                                                                                  tackle large lithium-ion batteries,
                                                                                                                                  was launched in November 2019 to:
      With changes around the waste                                                     4 REFRIGERANTS AND OTHER                   Match entrepreneurs with lithium-
      disposal levy afoot, this is likely to be                                            SYNTHETIC GREENHOUSE GASES
                                                                                                                                  ion batteries that can no longer be
      a very busy and interesting year in                                               5 FARM PLASTICS                           used in vehicles but have second-life
      the disposal to land world.
                                                                                        6 PACKAGING                               potential;
      WASTE DISPOSAL LEVY                                                                                                          Trial sending end-of-life lithium-
                                                                                        With a WMF funded project initiated
      The Steering Committee’s main                                                                                               ion batteries offshore to be
                                                                                        by Auckland and Marlborough
      focus since mid-December has                                                                                                reprocessed;
                                                                                        District Councils, work has already
      been developing the sector                                                                                                   Produce health and safety
                                                                                        begun on the co-design of a
      group’s submission on the waste                                                                                             guidelines for the safe storage and
                                                                                        container return scheme.
      disposal levy. This was finalised in                                                                                        transportation of used lithium-ion
      early February and is available on                                                E-WASTE                                   batteries;
      WasteMINZ' website.                                                                                                          Work with blockchain experts
                                                                                        The steering committee has
                                                                                                                                  Everledger to ensure all parts
      LANDFILL GAS COLLECTION                                                           established a Right to Repair working
                                                                                                                                  of a battery’s journey to being
      AND DESTRUCTION                                                                   group as part of their e-waste focus.
                                                                                                                                  reprocessed are transparent and
      On behalf of the Steering Committee,                                              There are plans to prepare a report
                                                                                                                                  ethical.
      WasteMINZ will be releasing a survey                                              investigating whether Aotearoa
      in March, on landfill gas collection and                                          New Zealand needs Right to Repair         See big.org.nz for more.
      destruction. Watch out for this survey,                                           legislation and if it does, what this
      which is currently in development.                                                might look like.

                                                                                                                        WASTE MANAGEMENT SOLUTIONS
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                                                                                                                                 MARCH 2020 \ WASTEMINZ.ORG.NZ \
                                                                                                                                   0508 474 663
                                                                                                                                                                         9
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SAFETY FEATURES FIXING FOR THE FUTURE: RIGHT TO REPAIR - COMPOSTABILITY GUIDANCE - WasteMINZ
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MOVERS & SHAKERS

         JAMES BALDWIN                           LOUISE CAMPBELL                                 LAURA MILLS

   James Baldwin recently joined          Louise started at Stratford District        Previously an environmental scientist

  Tauranga City Council as a senior       Council in April 2019 and took over         at Beca, Laura Mills has recently taken
                                            the role of asset management               over the role as contaminated land
 waste contract specialist within the
                                         coordinator in the Assets Team. Prior        officer at Hamilton City Council. Laura
   Sustainability and Waste Team.
                                        to this position, she worked at Taranaki        has over seven years’ experience
He has worked previously in contracts
                                         District Health Board as the resident           working in consultancies within
 with Hydrotech, maintaining both
                                             medical officer coordinator.               both the contaminated land and
commercial and public infrastructure;   Says Louise, “Part of my current role is       geotechnical fields. She has worked
 as sales manager with ChemWaste        as the waste minimisation officer. This         on numerous environmental and
  (EnviroNZ), a nationwide leader in      is such an enjoyable part of my job,         contaminated land projects across
  liquid and solid waste treatment,      pushing through initiatives to reduce          both New Zealand and Australia,
  emergency response and disposal       the waste going to landfill and working         including preliminary desk-based

 services, and as business developer     with New Plymouth District Council              assessments, intrusive ground
                                         and South Taranaki District Council            investigations, contaminated site
 for a Chinese investor where he lead
                                           for a regional approach to waste              management/remediation and
  an initiative to secure and build a
                                         minimisation. Our district has some              consenting projects under the
  large automated manufacturing
                                          great improvements underway for             National Environmental Standards -
plant packaging water, from concept
                                         diverting waste from landfill and big        Soil. Laura is thrilled to be continuing
           to production.                  plans for the long-term vision.”             her contaminated land career in a
     James can be contacted at                Louise can be contacted at              regulatory role and can be contacted
  james.baldwin@tauranga.govt.nz             lcampbell@stratford.govt.nz                    at laura.mills@hcc.govt.nz

                              WELCOME TO OUR NEW MEMBERS

              GOLD                              SMALL BUSINESS                                  Stephen Jones
   Ministry for the Environment                   Divers Group                                   Brandon Lee
             SILVER                              Earthwise Group                                 Nada Pirtek
             Fonterra                    Environmental Protection Authority                   Richard Stevenson
       NZ Safety Blackwoods                        Kāinga Ora                                  Matthew Stewart
                                          Land Information New Zealand                         Rebecca Turner
          CORPORATE
                                                    Retail NZ                                   Matthias Vest
           Deluxe Bins
                                         South Wairarapa District Council                       Abbie Watson
            Eden Park
                                             DCWISE Charitable Trust                           Nikki Withington
          MRA Consulting
             NZ Steel                              INDIVIDUAL                                      STUDENT
             SiteCare                               Allan Birch                                  Chad Enns
          The Warehouse                               Jill Ford                                Sumaraj Sumraj
                                                   Sarah Halliday                              Warren Fitzgerald

                                                                                   MARCH 2020 \ WASTEMINZ.ORG.NZ \          11
ON THE
WAY TO
FIXING
THINGS
 The roads to Right to Repair
 legislation are opening up around
 the world — so what does it mean
 for New Zealand? The Product
 Stewardship Sector Group explains.

12
\\ P R O D U C T S T E WA R D S H I P S EC TO R G R O U P

                                                               To understand why we churn
                                                            through them so much faster,
                                                            Consumer NZ is undertaking a
                                                            project to gather information from

  T
                                                            consumers about when and why
               HE LINDESAYS were having                     their vacuum cleaners broke, and
               an oven dilemma. Their                       how easy it was to repair them. Paul
               10-year-old oven had                         will also take apart as many vacuum
               stopped working and the                      cleaners as he can and ask questions
  manufacturer’s call centre had                            of manufacturers to assess the
  advised them to buy a new one,                            repairability of different vacuum
  because its repairability wasn’t                          cleaners.
  guaranteed and they would have to                            While the Consumer NZ study
  pay the $100 callout regardless. But                      is not specifically looking for it, the
  they were reluctant to buy a new                          study may highlight some examples
  oven because of their plans to either                     of planned obsolescence. Since
  renovate or sell the house.                               the 1930s, planned obsolescence
       With advice favouring replacing                      has included a deliberate policy of
  over repairing, it is not surprising                      encouraging replacement over repair
  that a recent UK study reveals that                       by, for example, frequently changing
  more than 44 million tonnes of                            the product design, not providing           PAUL SMITH, HEAD
  electronic and electrical waste was                       spare parts, or gluing batteries into       OF TESTING AT
  produced globally in 2017 — over six                      mobile phones so they can’t be              CONSUMER NZ,
  kilograms for every person on the                         replaced. It has become so normal           BELIEVES THAT DUE
  planet. This won’t necessarily all end                    that many consumers don’t seek to           TO THE SIMPLICITY
  up in landfill, especially as regulated
  product stewardship develops in
                                                            repair broken products any more, but
                                                            automatically replace them.
                                                                                                        OF THEIR DESIGN,
  Aotearoa and overseas.                                       Recognising both the inefficiency
                                                                                                        VACUUM CLEANERS
       However, can product                                 and waste associated with this way          SHOULD BE A ONCE-
  stewardship switch the focus from                         of doing business, the international        IN-A-DECADE
  recycling to reduction and reuse? Or                      Right to Repair movement has been           PURCHASE.
  are other measures needed to tackle                       growing.
  the underlying reasons for e-waste
  becoming the world’s fastest-
                                                            A political hot potato
                                                            In the USA, Right to Repair has
  growing waste stream?
                                                            become a political hot potato.
  Shiny new things                                          In 2019, Democrat presidential
  On an annual basis we hear the                            hopefuls Bernie Sanders and
  “news” that people have queued                            Elizabeth Warren indicated their
  overnight to be the first to own                          support for federal Right to Repair
  an over-hyped new model phone.                            legislation so that farmers can
  Even well-known vacuum cleaner                            fix their own tractors. Currently,
  companies regularly release new                           companies like John Deere build
  models without much improvement                           software into their products that
  on the old version. Yet Paul Smith,                       restrict repairs to authorised
  Head of Testing at Consumer NZ,                           dealers only. These dealers may be
  believes that due to the simplicity of                    expensive and a long distance from
  their design, vacuum cleaners should                      the farm, causing farmers to resort
  be a once-in-a-decade purchase.                           to software hacking and illegally-
                                                            sourced firmware to diagnose
                                                            problems and make repairs.

                                                                                                      MARCH 2020 \ WASTEMINZ.ORG.NZ \   13
The first and only existing             authorised ones. It would also be          principles and requires that by 2021
 Right to Repair legislation                 illegal for companies like Apple to        appliance makers will:
 (enacted in 2012) in the USA is the         use software updates to disable            •   make spare parts and manuals
 Massachusetts H4362 — an act                devices repaired by non-authorised             available to independent repair
 protecting motor vehicle owners             repair shops.                                  shops for up to a decade, and
 and small businesses in repairing               Not surprisingly, a strong lobby       •   ensure parts must not require
 motor vehicles. The Act requires            group made up of tech giants such              specific equipment to fix.
 vehicle owners and independent              as Apple, along with the Association       The new rules apply to refrigerators,
 repair facilities in Massachusetts          of Home Appliance Manufacturers            washing machines, dishwashers, and
 to have access to the same vehicle          (AHAM), has so far ensured that            televisions and are aimed at making
 diagnostic and repair information           while 20 states have considered            it easier to get items repaired by
 that is available to authorised repair      or are considering Digital Right to        registered technicians, rather than
 facilities. While this legislation was      Repair legislation, none has been          enabling consumers to do their own
 only enacted in Massachusetts,              enacted in any of these states. The        repairs.
 it resulted in a Memorandum of              anti-Right to Repair lobbyists have
                                                                                            The EU directive could have
 Understanding amongst the major             raised concerns about consumer
                                                                                        both positive and negative impacts
 car manufacturers to share repair           safety, decreased security and
                                                                                        for Aotearoa New Zealand.
 information with independent                intellectual property rights. Right
                                                                                        Manufacturers with product lines
 mechanics across the entire country.        to Repair proponents argue that
                                                                                        that don’t comply with this directive
                                             releasing diagnostic tools would
 Updates on updates                                                                     will still want to sell them — and
                                             make it less likely that people will
 If similar legislation targeting                                                       countries not bound by the directive
                                             resort to illegal hacking to fix items.
 devices and appliances was                                                             such as New Zealand are the perfect
 introduced, manufacturers would             Europe makes a start                       market to move them on to. The
 be required to share diagnostic             Towards the end of 2019, the               upside? If spare parts are made
 and repair information with                 European Union announced a                 available in Europe, they could be
 independent repairers as well as            directive along Right to Repair            made available in New Zealand, too.

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The pathways for Right to                     outcomes at the top of the waste         And this brings us to the point.
   Repair in New Zealand                         hierarchy (that is, the prevention,      While we may have to wait for Right
   In New Zealand there are several              reduction and reuse of 'waste’, not      to Repair to become a reality, we

   existing pieces of legislation that           just recycling and safe disposal).       don’t have to accept that something

   could address the issue of repairability.                                              cannot necessarily be repaired.
                                                    Such actions could include
   Under the Consumer Guarantees Act                                                      Search for a manual online, see if
                                                 Right to Repair elements—such as
                                                                                          spare parts can be bought or find
   retailers, manufacturers, importers           requirements that manufacturers
                                                                                          a helpful repair worker, before
   and distributors (including second-
                                                 make available diagnostic
                                                                                          resorting to replacing. If we all do
   hand shops, etc) must have spare parts
                                                 information, tools and parts to          this, that growing mountain of
   available for a “reasonable” amount of
                                                 consumers and independent                e-waste just may begin to shrink. R
   time and a way to offer repairs. These
                                                 repairers—as these would increase
   obligations can be avoided, however,
                                                 the reusability of electronic parts
   by notifying the customer before
                                                 and effectively extend the life of
   finalising the sale that spare parts and
   repairs aren’t available. If this loophole    electronics. Under a regulated
                                                                                          This article was prepared by the Right to
   was tightened up, then we would be on         product stewardship scheme, any          Repair Working Group, which was established
                                                                                          under the Product Stewardship Sector Group.
   our way to Right to Repair.                   electronics sold in New Zealand
                                                                                          Members include: Hannah Blumhardt (The
      Another promising pathway                  would need to comply.                    Rubbish Trip and the NZPSC), Karen Driver
                                                                                          (Zero Waste Network and Envision), Peter
   to Right to Repair is the current
                                                 A happy ending                           Thorne (Reclaim), Vicktoria Blake (Bay of
   consideration of regulated product                                                     Plenty District Health Board), Paul Smith
                                                 Back at the Lindesay’s house, there      (Consumer NZ) and Graeme Austin (School of
   stewardship for e-waste, under the
                                                                                          Law, Te Herenga Waka – VUW).
                                                 is a happy ending to their oven
   provisions of the Waste Minimisation
   Act 2008. Early indications are               dilemma. It turns out the bottom

   that those designing the product              element just needed replacing. A mere    References
                                                                                          bit.ly/WEF-circular-vision
   stewardship schemes will need                 $180 later (including the $100 callout
                                                                                          bit.ly/BBCEU-RTR
   to prioritise actions that produce            fee) their oven is working as before.

TO INFINITY
& BEYOND
Infinitely recyclable glass

       For more visit: bit.ly/2J4rFP6

                        O-I New Zealand
                        www.recycleglass.co.nz        +64 9 976 7127
ES
T H E S A F E T Y F IL
                                   r
                d wellbeing of ou
The welfare an                    e
                 stomers and th
work teams, cu
                is of paramou  nt
general public
                ross the whole
 importance ac
                 . Here, three of
 waste industry
                   ps demonstrate
  our sector grou
                  oaches to
  some key appr
                   ty: prevention,
  health and safe
                   d planning
   partnership an
  ahead.

     EXPOSURE
     AND HEALTH
     MONITORING
     WHAT AND WHY?
   16
\\ C O N TA M I N AT E D L A N D M A N AG E M E N T S EC TO R G R O U P

Detection and prevention are key to safety. Terre Nicholson
describes best practice for contaminated land workers.

D
                                                                                                    Regulatory Requirements
                URING OUR presentation
                                                         CONTAMINATED                               Under the Health and Safety at Work
                at the 2019 WasteMINZ
                Conference, Dr. Dru
                                                         LAND WORKERS ARE                           Act 2015, employers who are acting
                Marsh and I pointed out
                                                         ROUTINELY EXPOSED                          as Persons Conducting a Business
that contaminated land workers are                       TO A WIDE VARIETY                          or Undertaking (PCBUs) have a
routinely exposed to a wide variety                      OF HAZARDOUS                               responsibility to ensure a safe and
of hazardous substances at work and                      SUBSTANCES AT                              healthy workplace under the Health
that training and protection may be                      WORK AND THAT                              and Safety at Work (General Risk and

inadequate in New Zealand.                               TRAINING AND                               Workplace Management) Regulations
                                                                                                    2016 (GRWM Regulations).
    After our presentation, several
                                                         PROTECTION MAY                                 In June 2018, WorkSafe issued a
people asked us what they should
do if they are worried about an
                                                         BE INADEQUATE IN                           clarification statement addressing

occupational exposure and for
                                                         NEW ZEALAND                                contaminated land and its

more information on employers’                                                                      relationship to the Health and Safety

responsibilities.                                        •    For the most part, women              at Work (Hazardous Substances)

    The most important thing                                  (particularly pregnant women and      Regulations 2017. In summary,
                                                              nursing mothers) have not been        WorkSafe’s position is:
you can do is work with good
                                                              studied. There is some evidence       •   contaminated soil is not classified
health and safety practices,
                                                              that shift workers may be at              as hazardous waste under
understand your potential risk,
                                                              higher risk than those working            WorkSafe regulations
and keep informed. Here are a few
                                                              only a normal day shift (i.e.,        •   the Resource Management Act
thoughts on the ways ahead.
                                                              between 8am and 5pm, Monday               provides an existing framework
Exposure monitoring                                           through Friday), and that female          for managing contaminated soil
Exposure monitoring involves                                  shift workers may be at even          •   the Hazardous Substances
collecting samples to evaluate                                higher risk.                              Regulations 2017 are not
concentrations of hazardous                              •    The WELs evaluate exposure to             applicable to contaminated land.
substances in the air. WorkSafe                               a single hazardous substance          WorkSafe does acknowledge that
New Zealand has published                                     and not to the wide array of          PCBUs have a responsibility under
Workplace Exposure Limits (WELs)                              substances which contaminated         the GRWM Regulations to:
for numerous hazardous substances.                            land workers may be exposed           •   provide adequate information,
While the WELs can serve as a                                 to. Some synergistic effects,             supervision, training, and
starting point to measure potential                           such as asbestos exposure and             instruction to workers
risk to employees, they may not                               smoking, are widely studied and       •   ensure, so far as is reasonably
be adequately protective for some                             well known. However, for many             practicable, that the workplace
workers because:                                              combinations of hazardous                 allows persons to enter and exit
•   The WELs are largely adopted                              substances, very few studies have         and work without risk to their
    from the US and UK and based on                           been conducted and there are              health and safety
    healthy males working 40 hours                            many known and unknowns.              •   provide personal protective
    a week on day shift. The WELs are                    •    The majority of the WELs also             equipment and ensure the
    a time-weighted average which                             only evaluate the inhalation              equipment is suitable, maintained
    provides for an average exposure                          pathway and do not address                and worn correctly
    over an 8-hour period.                                    ingestion or dermal absorption.       •   manage risks to health and

                                                                                                  MARCH 2020 \ WASTEMINZ.ORG.NZ \         17
safety associated with hazardous    and what types of medical tests            information about potential health
     substances and ensure WELs are      and health monitoring should be            effects to help target appropriate
     not exceeded                        conducted.                                 health monitoring. The MSDS can
•    undertake exposure monitoring          An occupational medicine                also provide information regarding
     and/or health monitoring if         practitioner is trained in evaluating      exposure monitoring.

     required.                           potential work-related health                  Alternatively, you can talk to
                                         issues. They differ from a general         your employer about instituting
In addition, where contaminated
                                         practitioner because they specifically     a health monitoring programme,
soil may “either be or contain a
                                         look for links between health              with baseline and routine physical
substance hazardous to health” the
                                         and occupational exposures. An             exams provided by an occupational
PCBU must:
                                         occupational medicine practitioner         medicine practitioner.
•    identify hazards that could give
                                         will ask detailed questions about              Whatever route you take, stay
     rise to reasonably foreseeable
                                         your job – working conditions,             informed, risk-aware and safe in all
     risks to health and safety
                                         hazards, noise, hazardous                  the work you undertake to minimise
•    identify, implement, and review
                                         substances, and ergonomics.                and tackle occupational exposure.
     control measures to manage risks
                                            Based on your employment                As the old adage says, prevention is
     to health and safety.
                                         conditions and history, the                better than cure. R
For asbestos workers, health             occupational medicine practitioner
monitoring is required by regulation     can then request specific tests which
and approved codes of practice           evaluate potential health effects
and there is a register in place to      from your job.                             References
record exposures. However, there is                                                 bit.ly/CEBP-nightshift
no regulatory mandate for health         What you can do                            bit.ly/WS-CLandHS
monitoring of contaminated land          You can find occupational medicine         bit.ly/worksafe-exposure-2
workers beyond the general duty of       practitioners in New Zealand through       bit.ly/worksafe-asbestos-reg
care clauses in WorkSafe regulations.    a Google search. This should be your       bit.ly/worksafe-1844-monitoring
                                         first choice. But what if a specialist     bit.ly/effects-on-liver
Health monitoring                        isn’t readily available or you prefer to   bit.ly/OSHA-standards
According to the relevant WorkSafe       work with your GP?
fact sheet, “Currently there is no          The US Occupational Safety
work involving substances hazardous      and Health Administration (OSHA)
to health that requires the health       has published a guide on medical
monitoring of workers under the          screening and surveillance
GRWM Regulations”, with the              requirements. The OSHA guide lists
exception of asbestos.                   various hazardous substances and
     It is important that you and your   the recommended tests. This could
physician understand the toxicology      provide a useful tool for discussing       Terre Nicholson has over 30 years
associated with various hazardous        health tests with your general             of experience in contaminated land
substances. For example, exposure                                                   investigation, remediation, and management.
                                         practitioner; however, the guide does
                                                                                    She holds a Bachelor of Science Degree
to vinyl chloride, polychlorinated       not replace medical training and           in Civil/Environmental Engineering and
biphenyls, and carbon tetrachloride      judgement.                                 a post-graduate Diploma of Hazardous
                                                                                    Materials Management. Terre is a Certified
are all known to cause liver damage.        For people who are concerned
                                                                                    Environmental Practitioner with a Soil
However, any synergistic effects         about past or present exposures to         Contamination specialty, and has extensive
of being exposed to all three            hazardous substances, a physical           training and experience in risk assessment
                                                                                    and toxicology
substances, even at concentrations       exam with an occupational medicine
                                                                                    She attended her first 40-hour HAZWOPER
below their relevant WELs is not         practitioner is recommended. You           training in 1990 and was a recognised trainer
well understood. An occupational         can also read the Material Safety          in the US. In her 11 years in New Zealand, Terre
medicine practitioner should have        Data Sheet (MSDS) for the hazardous        has participated in projects ranging from
                                                                                    preliminary site investigations (PSIs) of green
an understanding that all three          substance(s). The MSDS are for             fields sites to remediation of large heavily
substances can cause liver damage        individual products, but can give you      contaminated industrial sites.

18
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\\ D I S P O S A L TO L A N D S EC TO R G R O U P

A MAN
WITH A
PLAN
Does your landfill have an asbestos management plan?
Hugh Cherrill asks the hard questions – and provides
some answers.

T
            HE DANGERS of asbestos                  of detail required for site specific     how risks from asbestos are to be

            are well known, and in                  management of risk to workers once       managed. The Regulations include

            2016 the Health and                     asbestos waste arrives at the landfill   a two-year transitional period for

            Safety at Work (Asbestos)               gate for disposal.                       preparation of an AMP to 4 April

Regulations came into force in New                                                           2018. From this date all landfills
                                                    So what do the                           accepting asbestos for disposal (or
Zealand prohibiting most work
                                                    Regulations require?                     with previously disposed asbestos
involving asbestos. However, the
                                                    PCBUs must ensure that exposure
Regulations allow specific activities,                                                       waste that may pose a risk), should
                                                    of workers to airborne asbestos is
including the transportation and                                                             have had an AMP.
                                                    eliminated so far as is reasonably
disposal of asbestos waste, subject                                                          Who is responsible?
                                                    practicable (or minimised if not
to implementation of measures to                    reasonably practicable to eliminate)     At a landfill, the duties under the
ensure safety. The Regulations apply                and that the airborne contamination      Regulations fall on more than one
to disposal of waste containing even                standard for asbestos set in the         PCBU. Typically there is a landfill
very low levels of asbestos.                        Regulations is not exceeded.             operator, the landfill owner (often
    There are a number of guidelines                   Transportation and disposal of        different from the operator) and
that provide interpretation and advice              asbestos and asbestos containing         companies that deliver asbestos
on the application of the Regulations.              material is permitted and is             waste to the landfill. These PCBUs
They describe procedures for asbestos               categorised as ‘asbestos-related         must consult, coordinate and
removal from buildings, removal                     work’. The requirements for this         cooperate to make sure their legal
of asbestos contaminated soil,                      type of work are set out in the          duties are met and risks are properly
transportation of asbestos waste and                Regulations.                             controlled. At a landfill, the PCBU
general requirements for disposal.                     For any site where asbestos is        with the most control is the landfill
    However, these guidance                         present, an Asbestos Management          operator and they have the primary
documents do not provide the level                  Plan (AMP) is required that sets out     responsibility to prepare an AMP. It

20
is recommended that the operator             •   Unloading — to prevent release of
   and owner develop the AMP, working               asbestos fibres
                                                                                                 GUIDANCE
   together to ensure that all risks are        •   Asbestos contaminated soil                   DOCUMENTS
   covered and roles and responsibilities           — often large volumes, special
                                                                                                 & THEIR FOCUS
   defined. Requirements flowing from               procedures may apply
   the AMP need to be communicated to           •   PPE — what, where, when
                                                                                                 Management and removal of
   PCBUs delivering asbestos wastes and         •   Covering the waste — how, how
   they need to incorporate them into                                                            asbestos. Approved Code of
                                                    much, how often
   their own safe working procedures.           •   Contingency/emergency measures               Practice, WorkSafe 2016 (the
                                                    and decontamination — dealing                ACOP)
   How are risks from
                                                    with spillages or release of
   asbestos managed?                                                                             Demolition of buildings and
                                                    asbestos fibres
   The AMP sets out the procedures to
                                                                                                 removal of asbestos.
                                                •   Airborne asbestos fibre
   be followed to ensure that risk from
                                                    monitoring — what, where, when,
   asbestos is controlled in accordance
                                                    follow-up actions                            New Zealand Guidelines for
   with the Regulations. A typical AMP for
   a landfill receiving asbestos containing     Procedures for detailing incidents —             Assessing and Managing
   wastes is likely to include sections         records and reporting.                           Asbestos in Soil, BRANZ, 2017
   addressing the following topics:
                                                Some key issues                                  Investigation, management
   •   Information about the asbestos at
                                                Unloading vs tipping
       the site — what, where etc.                                                               and remediation of asbestos
                                                Bagged, wrapped and containerised
   •   Decisions about the management                                                            contaminated soil. Guidance
                                                asbestos waste should be unloaded
       of asbestos risk and the reasons                                                          on working with asbestos
                                                carefully from delivery vehicles to
       for those decisions — safety and                                                          contaminated soil.
                                                avoid damage to the containment
       regulatory compliance focus
                                                and possible release of asbestos fibres
   •   Roles and responsibilities — the
                                                – not tipped. The exception to this is           Waste industry guidelines
       parties involved and what they do
                                                bulk loads of asbestos contaminated              to manage the collection,
   •   Training
                                                soil for which special procedures are            receipt, transport and
   •   Health monitoring
                                                required.                                        disposal of asbestos waste,
   •   Pre-approval procedures — waste
       acceptance requirements                  Soil with low asbestos fibres                    WasteMINZ 2019
   •   Containment — wrapping etc.              concentration
                                                                                                 General guidance on the
   •   Receipt — procedures and                 A particular issue that arises with
       inspections                              asbestos contaminated soil is deciding           management of the collection,

   •   Dedicated disposal location — for        how to handle soil containing very               receipt, transport and disposal
       example, fencing, signage                low concentrations of asbestos fibres,           of asbestos waste.

EHS Support New Zealand Ltd – Local Experts. Global Partners.
Services include:
• Contaminated land management – PSIs, DSIs, human health risk assessment, and remediation.
• Landfill gas and vapour investigations, assessment, and mitigation.
• Asbestos management – licensed assessors, surveyors, asbestos management plans, asbestos in soil.
• Environment, health and safety management support – resource consenting, auditing,
  process/control development, strategic advice, and compliance.
• Spill and emergency response.

Meet the New Zealand Team
Dave Dangerfield • david.dangerfield@ehs-support.com • Tel: 0275 577 342
Hiram Garcia • hiram.garcia@ehs-support.com • Tel: 0221 050 085
Rebecca Cleghorn • rebecca.cleghorn@ehs-support.com • Tel: 021 518 420
Simon Hunt • simon.hunt@ehs-support.com • Tel: 021 402 997
Mike Mechaelis • mike.mechaelis@ehs-support.com • Tel: 021 399 451                        MARCH 2020 \ WASTEMINZ.ORG.NZ \      21
something that WasteMINZ aims             that soil is tested to confirm that       work with asbestos waste is carried
to address in the Waste Industry          it contains less than 0.001% w/w          out, should wear PPE unless they are in
Guidelines to manage the collection,      asbestos prior to acceptance.             a vehicle fitted with a HEPA filter.
receipt, transport and disposal of           Whatever the approach and
                                                                                    Further details on all these challenges
asbestos waste in 2020.                   controls a landfill decides upon,
                                                                                    can be found in a paper presented
   The BRANZ guidelines identify          the reasoning around decisions
                                                                                    at the 2019 WasteMINZ conference
a concentration of friable asbestos       should be documented in the AMP
                                                                                    (Disposal of asbestos containing
or asbestos fines in soil of less than    to demonstrate that the exposure to
                                                                                    wastes at landfill, Hugh Cherrill
0.001% w/w as being unlikely to           asbestos fibres is being controlled in
                                                                                    and Natalie Pilcher), which is on
lead to unacceptable increased            accordance with the requirements of
                                                                                    WasteMINZ’ website.
cancer risk from airborne asbestos        the Regulations.
                                                                                        The overall message is clear,
fibres. BRANZ identify work with soil     Asbestos waste cover                      however: if you don’t have your AMP
containing less than 0.001% w/w           Asbestos waste must be covered            in place already, it’s time to pull it
asbestos as lower risk work that they     to prevent potential release of           together now. R
designate ‘unlicensed asbestos work’.     asbestos fibres. Cover soil is often
For ‘unlicensed asbestos work’, the       placed on a daily basis, but this can
BRANZ guidelines indicate that no         lead to inefficient use of void space
asbestos-specific PPE or respiratory      where delivery of asbestos wastes is
protection is required and that           infrequent. If wrapping/containment
handling such material essentially        is intact, cover soil may not need to
requires only dampening. On this          be placed immediately and at some
basis, some landfills handle this         landfills the coverage interval is up
material as special waste (dampened)      to a week. About 200mm to 300mm
without asbestos specific safety          of daily/weekly soil cover is typically

measures and do not require it to be      specified in the landfill AMPs.

disposed of in the site’s dedicated       PPE
asbestos disposal area.                   The referenced guidance documents
   However, the Regulations and           are clear on asbestos-specific PPE
WorkSafe ACOP appear misaligned           required. It is less clear who should     Hugh Cherrill is a Principal Civil and
with the BRANZ guidelines, in that                                                  Environmental Engineer based in Tonkin
                                          wear it and when. Work with risk of
                                                                                    + Taylor's Wellington office. He has more
they are clear that this type of work     release of asbestos fibres exceeding      than 25 years of experience with landfill
is ‘asbestos-related work’ and so this    trace levels should be confined to the    engineering projects. His involvement in
                                                                                    such projects includes site selection studies,
approach can be difficult to align with   dedicated asbestos disposal area. The     concept design and consent applications
the requirements of the Regulations       precautionary approach is that anyone     through to detailed design, construction
                                                                                    contracts and landfill operation.
and ACOP. This approach also requires     in the asbestos disposal area, when

     GEOTECHNICAL | ENVIRONMENTAL | OBSERVATIONAL
22                         26 Lon d on St reet, Hamilton \ hdgeo.co.nz
\\ H E A LT H A N D S A F E T Y S EC TO R G R O U P

                  PRACTICAL
              PARTNERSHIPS, JOINT
                RESPONSIBILITY
                      Danny McClure describes the four Cs of critical risk management
                                in kerbside collections health and safety.

W
                     HEN IT COMES to                  Contract                                       When a kerbside contract has been
                     kerbside operations              Some of it is down to the contract.            awarded or extended, all stakeholders
                     between a local body                A Person Conducting a Business              need to build, maintain, encourage
                     and a contractor,                or Undertaking (PCBU), councils and            and instil a positive relationship
there has always been that “divide”                   any other businesses engaging with             within the service contract. This

about who is ultimately responsible                                                                  is initially at the higher levels of
                                                      a contractor or contracted works/
for health and safety (H&S).                                                                         management but is also highly
                                                      services have a joint, overlapping
                                                                                                     applicable throughout both council
    Previously, there has been                        responsibility to ensure the safety of
                                                                                                     and the contractor’s businesses.
a perception from some that                           all workers, public and contractors
                                                                                                     We would do this by:
councils dictate the method in                        when working onsite, in a public
                                                                                                     •   Showing respect and value for the
which collection contracts are                        space or out in the field undertaking
                                                                                                         skills, experiences, creativity, and
applied and how the engagement                        these contacted works — or:
                                                                                                         contributions of all members
process rolls out. This has changed                       “A person conducting a business or
                                                                                                     •   Adhering to leadership and
significantly in the last few years to                   undertaking (PCBU) must ensure,
                                                                                                         decision-making guidelines
a process of positive engagement                         so far as is reasonably practicable,
                                                                                                     •   Embracing diversity
and a collaborative approach                             the health and safety of workers,           •   Listening to and acknowledging
to hazard identification, risk                           and that other persons are not put              the feelings, concerns, opinions,
management and mitigation.                               at risk by its work. Risks that arise           and ideas of others
    The facts are that health and                        from work must be eliminated so             •   Constructive engagement and
safety is everyone’s responsibility.                     far as is reasonably practicable. If a          introductions
    So why is it important that council                  risk can’t be eliminated, it must be        •   Taking the time to understand
and contractors form a partnership                       minimised so far as is reasonably               the challenges and motivations of
when dealing with health and safety?                     practicable” (WorkSafe NZ).                     each business.

                                                                                                  MARCH 2020 \ WASTEMINZ.ORG.NZ \           23
In addition, providing a mandate    the contracted service. At its best, it       Primarily, private kerbside
for ownership for each individual’s    underpins the collaboration we need       contractors are motivated to
role within that service contract —    to positively achieve all the required    provide a service from which they
whether as a driver, runner, yardman   outcomes safely, even to the point        can financially benefit, allowing
or manager/council representative      of assisting in preventing Serious        them to invest in their staff,
— drives accountability and            Injury or Fatality (SIF) events.          assets, overall wellbeing and
responsibility for actions, assets,        It also leads to effective            longevity of their company, without
reporting and workmate wellbeing.      reporting, establishing the               compromising the safety of others.
                                       checks and balances required                  Council’s motivation, I believe, is
Collaboration                          to run, manage and positively             two tiered: consideration needs to
Workplace collaboration keeps
                                       participate in kerbside service           be applied to the contract owner or
everyone safe, initially from any
                                       contracts. This makes it second           contract team and their motivation
extra workload. The work should
                                       nature for the teams who actively         to achieve results, while not losing
be evenly distributed, and both
                                       work with kerbside challenges             sight of what the public are needing
council and contractor should
                                       on a daily basis to keep health           to ensure the essential kerbside
take the time and energy to assist
                                       and safety “front of mind”.               obligations and long terms plans/
everyone involved within their
                                           The most effective tool in            WMMP set by council are achieved
respective organisations and teams.
                                       all reporting instances are the           safely, as identified in the Health
   Working in teams makes              individuals and teams actually doing      and Safety at Work Act 2015.
everyone feel collectively             what they do well kerbside. These
                                                                                     The best and easiest way to
responsible and it also raises         reporting initiatives add the most
                                                                                 achieve this is to collaboratively
motivational levels, leaving           value at very little or no expense:
                                                                                 work with councils and their
nothing to chance. In turn, this       •   Near miss reporting — key part
                                                                                 relative stakeholders to understand
helps to develop the skills for            of identifying issues before they
                                                                                 those required outcomes. In
positive interactions while leading        occur
                                                                                 applying a structured and
to the desired outcomes and            •   Hazard ID and subsequent risk
                                                                                 collaborative cultural approach,
reinforcing positive reputations.          review/mitigation
                                                                                 parties would need to:
                                       •   Wellbeing of staff/individuals/
Communication                                                                    •   Recognise and accept the need for
                                           contractors — ensuring a positive
A very clear direction and                                                           partnership
                                           culture and mindset where we
expectation of outcomes                                                          •   Develop clarity and realism of
                                           all feel we need to “look after our
requires clear, concise instruction                                                  purpose
                                           mates”
and communication. In the                                                        •   Structure reporting to suit needs;
                                       •   Asset and equipment reporting —
past, there have been minor                                                      •   Ensure commitment and
                                           tools that are fit for purpose.
breakdowns in these areas,                                                           ownership
leading to significant and negative    Culture                                   •   Develop and maintain trust
reputational and H&S exposure,         A key to ensuring and maximising          •   Create clear and robust
resulting in financial penalty or      mutual results has to be                      partnership arrangements
an enforceable undertaking.            understanding the culture of the          •   Monitor, measure and learn from
   A recent example is a Northland     respective businesses and the                 reporting systems; and
construction company who were          outcomes each are seeking.                •   Always seek continual
ordered to pay reparations of              For instance, though                      improvements within the
$151,578.21 to a worker who was        empowering teams to be proactive              partnership contract.
left permanently paralysed from        and “speak up” about health and
the chest down after falling two
                                                                                 Conclusion
                                       safety concerns is the collective
                                                                                 It’s not enough to own the contract.
metres and landing on his head.        responsibility of both the council
                                                                                 All these components need to come
   Incidents like this demonstrate     contract owner and the kerbside
                                                                                 together to enable everyone involved
how good communication doesn’t         contractor, culture could play
                                                                                 to have a better understanding
only encourage effective teamwork      a significant part in preventing
                                                                                 of the overall operational and
and promote transparency within        someone from opening up.

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