The big brother of the ban on hard-to-recycle plastics is about to progress as the second tranche of the phase-out approaches.
It means New Zealand will become the first country in the world to ban plastic produce bags as the haste to reduce waste moves forward.
It started with phasing out plastic microbeads in 2018. The following year single-use shopping bags were banned. Last October, a raft of throw-away plastic items like PVC food containers and polystyrene takeaway food and drink packaging were discontinued in the first tranche of the phase-out.
Come July 1, the ban on more items will put paid to some plastic products which many Kiwis have commonly used and taken for granted due to how readily available they have been.
Plastic tableware, found in many an office cutlery draw will be farewelled, along with plastic straws and a transition away from plastic produce labels will begin.
Disabled people and those with health conditions (or someone acting on their behalf) will still be able to access and use single-use plastic drinking straws if they need them.
Perhaps the most significant item to be discontinued will be the produce bags, hung up in vast rolls which supermarkets have traditionally provided for customers.
An Environment Ministry spokesperson says New Zealand will be the first country in the world to ban these plastic produce bags.
“This alone will remove 150 million bags from circulation every year. That’s 17,000 plastic bags, every single hour.
“The 1 July bans will affect New Zealand businesses, retailers, and consumers,” the spokesperson said.
The ministry says Australian states are in consultation with a view to implementation of similar rules in the next year.
A game-changer for the environment
Associate Minister for the Environment Rachel Brooking is hailing the changes as a “new era for New Zealand’s waste system”.
She says new legislation to deal with waste is going to be a game-changer for a country that has a “doozy of a waste problem to kick”.
“The Waste Minimisation Act 2008 and the Litter Act 1979 are dated and have limited tools to address our environmental issues.”
She says the Government is developing new legislation to give effect to our waste strategy and help us catch up with the rest of the world.
“In 2025, we’ll be banning all other PVC and polystyrene food and drink packaging and a transition to compostable plastic produce labels will begin.
“These phase-outs will prevent more than two billion plastic items going to landfill every year.
“It will also encourage businesses to make thoughtful choices in replacing the products that are being phased out, to instead use packaging that is reusable or readily recyclable.
"We are also among a few of the first countries to be taking action on non-home compostable plastic produce labels. France banned them from January 2022. Belgium also passed legislation to ban produce labels that are not home compostable in two stages."
The ministry says single-use plastics contribute to global oil production and have emissions impact throughout their lifecycle. Therefore, these phase-outs will have a positive impact on New Zealand’s climate change emissions targets.
It says it's taking an educational approach to the new rules in the first instance to help businesses understand their responsibilities.
Implementation guidance has been developed to help businesses in transitioning away from the banned items.
"Parties that contravene the Waste Minimisation Act 2008 may face prosecution and, if convicted, fines of up to $100,000 per offence," the ministry says.
Many businesses ahead of the game
Many businesses have already moved to more sustainable alternatives. The Ministry says it’s engaging with businesses and industry to encourage them move towards producing less plastic waste and toward reusable options.
McDonald’s New Zealand transitioned to fibre straws and wooden cutlery several years ago.
McDonald’s spokesperson Simon Kenny says "it placed us ahead of the upcoming single-use plastics ban".
"These changes were part of global packaging and waste commitments, which include transitioning away from virgin fossil-fuel based plastics in guest packaging to 100% renewable, recycled or certified sources by the end of 2025.
"McDonald’s global strategy seeks to design out waste and advance material recovery and reuse, helping to advance a circular economy. Fibre used in our local packaging is certified sustainably sourced, and we continue to assess local opportunities for recycling and further diversion of waste," he told 1News.
New Zealand’s supermarket rivals have long-been preparing to farewell the plastics flagged to be discontinued.
Debra Goulding, sustainable packaging programme manager at Foodstuffs New Zealand says the phase-out has already begun.
“We’ve been working closely with our suppliers over the past year to make sure we have as few plastic produce bags as possible in the final weeks leading up to the change.
“Customers may have already noticed plastic produce bags have disappeared from some of our stores and that we’ve got signage up letting customers know what’s going on. Any leftover plastic bags will be repurposed as barrier bags in the seafood and deli departments or sent through our soft plastic recycling scheme.”
While the ministry says the main costs of the transition will fall to businesses that may choose to substitute single-use plastics with single-use alternatives, Foodstuffs NZ says the cost of paper bags in the produce section won’t be passed on to customers.
Countdown launched a pilot in July 2022 to test out how customers wanted to address the upcoming ban.
“We’ve learned a lot from this pilot and have used customer feedback to shape our approach,” a Countdown spokesperson told 1News.
“Our focus is on encouraging customers to use reusable produce bags, just like they do for their checkout bags and we’re offering a low cost, lightweight reusable mesh bag made of 80% recycled plastic that is compliant with our tare weight (10 grams) at checkout."
A pack of three reusable mesh bags will cost 60 cents.
“We will also be offering paper bags for customers who need them.”
The Restaurant Association says anecdotal feedback is that members are accepting and supportive of the changes.
“There has been a long lead in time for this and many businesses had already transitioned to other materials. It isn’t necessarily easy as alternatives may have a higher price point potentially and with the ongoing increases to the cost of goods, this is the main challenge,” chief executive Marisa Bidois says.
She says although there has been sufficient notice on the phase-out, “of course more support from Government to ensure every business is aware of the changes along with support for the transition period would be welcome".
“The challenge will be great for those businesses that are pure takeaway and for whom cost is key."
She says with ingredient and wage costs increasing, “this is another financial and compliance burden for business at an already challenging time".
"Some businesses will pass these costs on and others will absorb them.
"As an industry that relies on discretionary spending, businesses are mindful that the current cost of living challenges are likely to have an impact on business and are trying to minimise price increases."
Plastic Free July around the corner
The progression of the Government’s plan on reducing plastic waste comes as Plastic Free July Aotearoa is just around the corner.
The aim of the campaign is to increase awareness and encourage people to take more steps to look after our planet and ourselves.
Spokesperson Juliet Dale says even though it’s called Plastic Free July "it's not about being plastic-free, it’s about making small plastic-free changes in our everyday lives".
“That could look like setting up a compost bin or using shampoo and conditioner bars. Small steps can make a huge collective difference,” she says.
"Making those small changes sends a message to Government and businesses that we want change and as consumers, we are only one part of the solution."
Dale’s role combines nicely with her passion for sustainable living.
She set up a sustainable education website called The Great Eco Journey five years ago after seeing the small changes her family were making made a huge difference.
"We started making small changes one at a time with what seemed like very little effort, and we halved our waste going to landfill and noticed we could save money at the same time."
She said starting to compost and recycling soft plastics were easy ways to reduce waste as a family.
Free online workshops are planned for Plastic Free July across the month to educate Kiwis about how to live more sustainably.
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