Government has been called on to increase the waste disposal levy as councils struggle to cope with the 'recycling crisis'.
WasteMINZ CEO Paul Evans spoke to TVNZ 1's Breakfast today about how the levy is "a really important mechanism in changing the way we actually deal with waste".
Mr Evans says it's not about getting charged for dumping waste, but finding more effective ways of getting rid of it by broadening and potentially increasing the levy, including product stewardship programmes and "free or affordable recycling options".
"You know, you've got a fridge, you need to take that to the dump - rather than it going straight into a landfill, there's a recycling option which is free or of minimal cost available to them.
"It's not about one simple, quick fix - it's about a consolidated sweep of action."
Mr Evans also said the levy wouldn't lead to an increase in illegal dumping to avoid the charge.
"People would always say, 'Look, illegal dumping will go up.' Now, the evidence actually shows that doesn't happen, but we need to make sure that we do have those recycling options in place, that we do have enforcement in place, to ensure we don't have that because that's the last thing that anyone would want."
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