Latest news with #NicQuilty
RNZ News
11-06-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
Are we wasting an opportunity to capitalise on our waste?
environment about 1 hour ago The size of New Zealand's waste problem - and how much it's costing us - has been laid bare in a new report. It shows we rank among the highest producers of waste and consumers of material in the OECD - some 28 tonnes of material per capita in 2022. But we're among the lowest when it comes to what we do with it. The overall waste sector contributes $3.3 billion to the economy - but waste inefficiencies are costing us over $220 million a year in avoidable disposal costs. The report was commissioned by industry body WasteMINZ and undertaken by the NZIER - New Zealand Institute for Economic Research. Kathryn digs into it with WasteMINZ's CEO Nic Quilty and report author Roshen Kulwant.
Scoop
10-06-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Keynote Speech: WasteMINZ Conference
Speech – New Zealand Government Kia ora tatou. My warmest greetings to you all. It's a pleasure to be here with you at this year's WasteMINZ Conference — the flagship event for New Zealand's waste, resource recovery, and contaminated land sectors. For over 30 years, this conference has been a space for industry leaders and innovators to come together — to be inspired, to share ideas, and to shape the future of this essential work. Thank you for the opportunity to join you today. As I begin, I'd like to acknowledge Parul Sood, Chair of the WasteMINZ Board, along with the board members, CEO Nic Quilty and her team, and all of today's delegates. I also want to recognise the ongoing work of WasteMINZ members — your contribution to the sector is important and appreciated. Today, I'd like to update you on several key areas I'm working on as Minister for the Environment. Over the past year and a half, I've been focused on delivering the Government's priorities for waste, contaminated sites, and broader environmental challenges. We know the waste sector has long-standing issues. But these challenges come with opportunities to improve outcomes for both the natural world and our communities. Before I expand on the Government's work on waste, I'd like to start with some announcements. Last year, as part of Budget 2024, I announced the Government has changed the Waste Minimisation Act 2008 to allow the waste disposal levy to be spent on a wider range of activities. As part of this, levy funds were allowed to support local authorities with the costs of managing waste from emergencies. We know the frequency and magnitude of emergency events are increasing, partly due to the rise in severe weather events. Emergency events often generate large volumes of waste, which needs to be dealt with quickly. Today, I am pleased to confirm that we have now established emergency waste funding. The funding will support councils with the cost of managing waste following an emergency, including repairing or replacing damaged waste infrastructure. The Canterbury and Kaikōura earthquakes, recent cyclones, the Auckland Anniversary floods, and many other large-scale events have underscored the importance of resilient waste management and minimisation facilities and services. So far, the costs of managing waste caused by these events have been dealt with on an ad-hoc basis, with no standing funds available to support councils. The emergency waste funding will give councils timely access to funding to deal with waste in the aftermath of emergency events. This will reduce the financial burden of these events on central and local government. The simple application process means councils will be able to quickly and easily access funding. Waste management in emergency events is a critical service to get up and running quickly, to reduce public health risks and support communities to get back on their feet. This new funding will help councils and communities when they need it most. Now, I would like to draw your attention to a new report on construction and demolition waste, which I know is a topic you will be keenly interested in. Construction projects are essential to growing our economy. However, they also leave behind a staggering amount of waste, which places a burden on New Zealand's landfills and the environment. Yesterday, the Ministry for the Environment published the first national baseline report for construction and demolition waste. This baseline measure is the first of its kind in New Zealand. It will help us evaluate the state of construction and demolition waste, giving us a starting point for comparing changes over time. The national baseline report provides an overview of how much construction and demolition waste New Zealand is sending to landfill, and what materials make up this waste stream. The results show that construction and demolition waste is New Zealand's largest waste stream and highlight the significant role that surplus soil and rubble play. To cover off a few key statistics from the report: An estimated 5.25 million tonnes of construction and demolition waste was disposed at levied facilities (class 1-4) in 2023. This represents almost 70 per cent of all waste disposed at levied facilities. Of all levied construction and demolition waste disposed, nearly 80 per cent of that waste is soil or rubble. Of the remaining construction and demolition waste, timber, plastics, plasterboard and textiles (i.e. carpet) make up notable proportions of the overall waste stream. Further to these findings, as many of you will know, last month I met with the WasteMINZ sector group on surplus soils. This was to discuss the group's proposal to develop a national soils management framework through a Waste Minimisation Fund grant. I would like to thank Nic Quilty, Parul Sood, Rod Lidgard and James Corbett for taking the time to meet with me to discuss this important issue. I understand managing surplus soils is a long-standing challenge, with no national rules or clear guidance on how to reuse them. The national baseline report highlights the scale of the problem. Valuable soil resources are being lost to landfill, with clean or slightly contaminated soils often unnecessarily landfilled. This contributes to landfill overuse, emissions, and high project costs. For these reasons, I am pleased to confirm today that I support the WasteMINZ proposal to fund a national soils management framework. Ministry for the Environment officials will be working with WasteMINZ to develop a phased approach for addressing these issues. Details are still to be finalised, and the sector will be kept updated. Following these announcements, I'd like to now move on to our waste strategy and work programme. You may be aware that I recently launched the Government's strategy to reduce waste and improve how it's managed in New Zealand. The strategy sets out the Government's approach to reducing the environmental and economic harm caused by waste. Alongside that, I confirmed a comprehensive waste work programme to implement the strategy's goals. You'll be aware of some changes made late last year to existing waste policies. We're reducing costs to ratepayers by leaving decisions about kerbside collections, including food scraps, up to local councils. The Waste Minimisation Fund will continue to support councils that choose to adopt these services. We've also removed the 2025 deadline to phase out all PVC and polystyrene food and drink packaging. We have had a positive response from industry on this decision as it gives them more time to adopt alternatives, while ensuring that new regulations are practical and workable. These adjustments support our waste strategy while minimising cost-of-living pressures. Our waste work programme is well underway, and I'd like to start by highlighting the proposed amendments to our waste legislation. These changes would replace the Waste Minimisation Act 2008 and the Litter Act 1979, with the aim of reducing inefficiencies and providing greater clarity around the roles of central government, local government, and the wider waste sector. We recently consulted on these proposals, which aim to make the legislative framework clearer and more effective. Consultation closed on 1 June, and I want to sincerely thank everyone who took the time to make a submission. Officials are now carefully considering that feedback to help inform the policy development. The aim is to introduce the new legislation before the next general election. We also recently asked New Zealanders to share their views on proposed regulations to improve the way waste from commonly used farm plastic products is managed. We're proposing new regulations to support a national product stewardship scheme covering agrichemical containers and other farm plastics, such as bale wrap. As someone who has lived on a farm almost all my life, I know how important this is. It would bring together the services of existing schemes Agrecovery and Plasback, simplifying recycling and disposal for farmers and growers, and expanding access into a nationwide service. This scheme would be funded through an advance disposal fee and offer free, nationwide take-back services. And it won't just benefit farmers—sectors like forestry, tourism, hospitality, and manufacturing could also participate. We have had strong engagement and feedback throughout the consultation process. Thank you to everyone who shared their valuable insights. In addition to the consultation on farm plastics, I'd like to provide a brief update on the progress of other product stewardship schemes. Product stewardship schemes are designed to ensure everyone in a product's life cycle shares responsibility to reduce its environmental impact at the end of its life. The Tyrewise scheme is a strong example of this principle in action. Tyrewise addresses the estimated 6.5 million tyres that reach end of life in New Zealand each year. Since going live last September, the scheme has collected and repurposed more than 2.8 million tyres into fuel and other useful products. It is also on track to exceed its first-year targets – an incredible achievement. I commend everyone involved in the development and daily operation of the scheme for their dedication and impact. I also want to acknowledge the efforts of everyone involved in the accredited synthetic refrigerants scheme, known as Cool-Safe. This scheme has been operating since 1993 and has now successfully collected over 600,000 kilograms of synthetic refrigerants, significantly reducing their environmental impact. We are actively working with this scheme and the wider industry to support the responsible end-of-life management of these gases. Earlier this year I received the Plastic Packaging Product Stewardship scheme co-design recommendations report. I want to sincerely thank everyone who contributed to this report – it represents the culmination of over two years of dedicated work. We will carefully consider the recommendations and continue to work with stakeholders to plan the next steps in developing this important scheme. Work is also progressing on electrical and electronic products (e-waste). I'm aware safe battery disposal is a growing concern for the sector, as improperly disposed of batteries pose significant fire risks. There is currently a high level of activity in the battery space, with multiple stakeholders across industry and government actively engaged. This momentum is encouraging, and I look forward to seeing continued progress toward a safe, more sustainable approach to managing e-waste in New Zealand. Another area of focus focuses is remediating contaminated sites, including historic landfills vulnerable to weather events. Historic landfills can be compromised by erosion, storm surges, rainfall events, high river levels and flooding. There are hundreds of historic landfills and contaminated sites around New Zealand vulnerable to severe weather. Remediating these sites is vital for protecting our environment from harm. No-one wants a repeat of the Fox River landfill event in 2019. Communities should not be left dealing with the aftermath of old landfill breaches. Acting early to remediate these sites also saves money in the long run. Councils have been asking for more support – and now they have it. Last year, I opened the new Contaminated Sites and Vulnerable Landfills Fund, a $20 million fund to support councils and landowners. This fund replaces the previous Contaminated Sites Remediation Fund and significantly increases support. Regional, unitary and territorial authorities can now apply. The Ministry is actively supporting councils with applications. There has been great progress already, like the remediation project at Tāhunanui Beach in Nelson where $2.9 million of Government support has helped remove more than 10,000 cubic metres of contaminated material from underneath the beach carpark. This project is a great example of what this new fund can support. More information is on the Ministry for the Environment website. I would like to now move onto our work in improving recycling. Standardising the materials accepted in kerbside recycling was a vital first step — sending a clear signal to businesses and households about what can be recovered through kerbside systems across New Zealand. Thank you to everyone who helped develop this policy. There is still work to do, but the new Recycling Leadership Forum is a great next step. The forum is exploring challenging kerbside issues, including the tricky items that don't currently fit the system. I'm watching their work with interest and expect to receive their first report on potential solutions soon. Plastic is part of daily life, and while it has benefits, it creates far-reaching waste problems. On the international stage, New Zealand is playing a part in negotiating a treaty to tackle plastic pollution globally. Our delegation is heading to the next round of negotiations in Geneva in August. Domestically, we continue to reduce waste and support recycling innovation. The latest Our Environment 2025 report shows that our landfills received 11 per cent less waste per capita in 2023 than the peak in 2018. The Waste Minimisation Fund is providing grant funding to upgrade resource recovery centres, transfer stations, and materials recovery facilities to increase the volume and quality of recovered plastic materials. The fund is also supporting the construction of processing infrastructure to facilitate the reuse of this recovered material, stimulating the local economy and reducing our reliance on overseas markets. We're managing hard-to-recycle plastics and working with industry to move away from problematic packaging like PVC and polystyrene. Thank you for your efforts. I understand that tomorrow, Ministry for the Environment officials will be speaking to the waste work programme in more detail. I encourage you to attend and ask any questions you may have. In closing, I want to thank you for your time, for your contributions, and for your commitment to innovation. Your leadership matters. Together, we are building a more resilient and sustainable New Zealand—for our people, our economy, and our environment. I wish you all the very best for the rest of the conference. Thank you.
The Spinoff
06-05-2025
- Automotive
- The Spinoff
Why batteries keep causing fires – and how the problem can be fixed
When batteries end up in the general waste, they can cause fires, putting people and property at risk and damaging the environment. Shanti Mathias investigates why disposing of batteries is so complex – and so expensive. When a rubbish truck catches fire, smoke twirling out over the road, the safety procedure is immediate: the driver needs to dump the entire contents of their truck on the kerb and wait for Fire and Emergency to deal with it. These smoking piles of rubbish are a massive human health and environmental risk. Rubbish truck fires are most often caused by one thing: batteries. And battery-sparked fires are becoming more common, with 13 in Auckland in 2025 so far, and five in Christchurch, compared to 20 and 16 in all of 2024 respectively. Auckland Council's Waitākere Refuse and Recycling Transfer Station in Henderson and the Materials Recovery Facility in Onehunga also have about two small smoulder fires a week, likely caused by batteries. While Wellington City Council hasn't recorded any fires so far this year, there were two rubbish truck fires in Kāpiti in 2024. While it's not always possible to trace the exact cause of a fire, and it's likely that some aren't noticed or recorded, batteries are the most likely culprit. The most recent fire was last week, on Auckland's North Shore, when a massive blaze likely sparked by a lithium-ion battery igniting destroyed the Abilities Group recycling plant, sending clouds of thick black smoke into the sky so large they were seen across the city, and prompting emergency alerts to be sent to North Shore residents warning them to stay inside. Fires can have further implications for waste companies, too: just this week, Auckland District Court imposed a $30,000 fine on a scrap metal recycler after a battery fire in 2023 released toxic smoke that blew across the city. There is no easy way for scrap metal recyclers to detect batteries in scrap material, but Auckland Council, which brought the charges, said the case was 'an important precedent in balancing empathy for emerging challenges with the necessity of regulatory compliance', highlighting the importance of 'proactive risk management'. There are more batteries in our houses than ever before, thanks to the affordability of cheap, lithium-ion battery-powered electronics. 'In my own house, we each have a phone, maybe a few in a drawer, iPads and laptops, remote controls for the TV,' says Nic Quilty, CEO of industry group WasteMINZ. Kids' toys, handheld powertools, kitchen gizmos, all containing batteries. Vapes are a particularly big issue; although all vapes sold now are technically rechargeable, low prices mean that many are treated as single use. Millions of vapes being sold and used around the country present a big problem. 'They're fully contained units – you can't separate the battery out,' says Ross O'Loughlin, a regional manager at Waste Management (WM), the country's biggest waste management provider, based in Wellington. Many phones are designed with non-removable batteries too, so those batteries are processed through e-waste systems. As in houses, so in rubbish bins: lots of batteries, dangerously, end up in the rubbish because people don't know where else to put them. But all the chemicals, particularly lithium, which produce a reaction inside the battery are still there, and if a battery gets dented or starts leaking, that energy can be released. This presents a huge risk for councils, which are responsible for waste around New Zealand: fires on trucks and at recycling and waste-processing stations can harm workers and damage important infrastructure. Most councils around the country have separate battery-recycling facilities in an attempt to prevent batteries from being put into kerbside recycling or rubbish. But the systems are different depending on where you are: batteries can be dropped off at some council facilities, and some privately run ones. In certain areas, like Taranaki, there is a charge if you're recycling batteries from a commercial business, or if you have more than 5kg of batteries. How to recycle a battery 'We have to identify the batteries that present an immediate risk,' says O'Loughlin. Waste Management is one of a handful of companies that accepts batteries from councils or privately run battery drop-offs and has permission from the Environmental Protection Authority to ship them overseas to battery-recycling facilities. It recycled 15 tonnes of batteries last year. If lithium gets out of a lithium-ion battery, it immediately starts reacting with the air, producing hydrogen. Those dented, deformed batteries are too dangerous to be shipped, so they have to be sealed then put in landfill. This is often done by putting the leaking batteries in a drum and pouring concrete over it so they don't keep reacting. The batteries that are appropriate to ship are first sorted into different types – lead car batteries are a completely different category to lithium-ion batteries like those in phones – and then packed for transport. This means individually taping over the terminals of batteries with electrical tape so they can't ignite, then packing them in steel drums. The batteries have to be surrounded by a heat-absorbing material that can't be set on fire; WM uses either sand or vermiculite, a natural compound which is lighter than sand. 'We need to prevent a runaway reaction in the container,' O'Louglin explains. The safety precautions are part of the shipping company's requirements; fires in trucks are bad, but fires on ships are even worse, as simply stopping and piling rubbish onto the kerb isn't an option. WM's batteries are shipped to Australia, where the metals inside can be harvested for re-use: mostly nickel, cobalt and lithium. Despite all these precautions, it's still common for there to be fires at the battery-recycling facility, due to the number of highly reactive chemicals. Other battery recyclers, including Phoenix Metalman, ship their batteries to recyclers in Korea and Japan. There's a host of other practical challenges that go with recycling batteries. One is insurance; when Mitre 10 introduced battery drop-off centres to its stores, the risk of fires meant it had to check with its insurer as well as Fire and Emergency New Zealand. O'Loughlin says that the cost of insurance, as well as the smaller scale, is one thing that would make it difficult to have a battery recycling facility in New Zealand. Batteries are also heavy to transport; boxes used for drop-off can't be too large or they become impossible to move. This process is, of course, expensive – much more so than dealing with the kinds of waste that don't burst into flames, like cardboard. It's expensive when a rubbish truck catches fire, with local government footing the bill, but up-to-standard battery recycling is expensive too. So what should we do with them? 'When batteries end up in general rubbish or recycling, they can be unintentionally squashed, compacted, punctured, and when that happens they get hot and that causes fires,' Quilty says. It's reasonably safe to keep undamaged, non-modified batteries in your house until you can get to a battery specific waste drop-off, at a Mitre 10 or Bunnings store, council-run landfill or other facility. WasteMINZ has compiled a map of battery drop-offs around the country that you can view here. One of the reasons battery recycling differs between councils and parts of the country is that there is no national standard for what should happen to used batteries. 'We have nothing from the [central] government saying 'this is what you do with your batteries,' says Quilty. 'We have no consistent national campaign.' The standardisation of recycling rules around the country has had a tangible difference and already meant less contamination of waste streams, O'Loughlin says. Clear messaging around disposing of batteries, no matter where you are, could have the same effect, and prevent some of the dangers batteries create. 'Product stewardship' is the concept of looking after an item through its whole cycle of being manufactured, used, recycled and disposed of. Quilty thinks a national product stewardship model for batteries could be implemented by the government, along with a model for e-waste. It's a principle that retailer Mitre 10 has applied in including battery drop-off stations in 16 of its stores around the country, funded by both the company and local councils. 'We sell batteries to the New Zealand public, they're hard to dispose of safely – we need to take ownership of that,' says Julie Roberts, Mitre 10's head of sustainability. Mitre 10 accepts any of the types of batteries it sells for tools and handheld devices, but not other kinds of batteries like car batteries or solar units. 'As a company, we have an obligation to be responsible for the products we put into the market,' Roberts says. Mitre 10 conducts regular desk audits of the type of batteries it's receiving, keen to avoid the perception that it's simply greenwashing. The Warehouse Group, including Noel Leeming and Warehouse Stationery, offers similar e-waste and battery recycling at some of its stores, as does Bunnings. Jason Bell, chief operating officer of Noel Leeming, said in a statement that Noel Leeming and Warehouse Stationery had recycled 168kg of batteries and e-waste in 2024. Mitre 10 said it has recycled 27.5 tonnes of batteries since its programme began in 2024 and Bunnings has recycled 110 tonnes since it began accepting batteries in late 2021. E-waste programmes like TechCollect also deal with rechargeable batteries, which in some cases need to be separated from the device for battery-specific processing. But for lots of people, the thought of fires and hazardous chemicals isn't on their mind when they're putting a dead battery-powered device or flat batteries from the TV remote or a kid's toy in the bin. Councils put out lots of communications about what to do with batteries in their areas and most transfer stations have a clearly labelled battery disposal area. But only so many people regularly go to landfills or hardware stores, and many never open the council emails in their inboxes. More awareness is needed. 'People need to know what to do with batteries – that's where the risk sits,' says Roberts. 'If we want a circular economy, everyone has a role to play.'
