Tomorrow, the rules around buying, selling and using certain plastics will change but that’s only one way the war on waste is being fought. 1News dives into the bin of hard and soft plastics to discover what Kiws can save from going to landfill.
The ban on hard-to-recycle plastics is about to take the next step as the Government clears a new lot of single-use plastic products from sale and circulation.
New legislation under the Waste Minimisation Act means from July 1, plastic cutlery will be farewelled, along with plastic straws, which will only be available to disabled people and those with health conditions.
Plastic produce labels will also be phased out. That means all produce that’s packed in New Zealand from tomorrow will have to have a paper label applied. There will still be leeway for current stock which has plastic labels on them to be sold but after that phase out, it’s paper all the way.
Plastic produce bags will also be taken out of supermarkets as New Zealand becomes the first country in the world to ban them in favour of sustainable options.
“This alone will remove 150 million bags from circulation every year. That’s 17,000 plastic bags, every single hour,” an Environment Ministry spokesperson says.
New Zealand's supermarket chains have already begun replacing plastic produce bags and are supplying customers with free paper bags and are also encouraging Kiwis to bring their own into stores.
Countdown is selling a pack of three reusable mesh bags that will cost customers 60 cents.
From Saturday, if takeaways are on the menu, you won't be eating them with a plastic fork or sipping your drink through a plastic straw. (Source: 1News)
The ministry says single-use plastic products are often tossed away and can overflow from bins into waterways — and they never fully break down. "They just turn into smaller plastic pieces, which can enter our waterways and even our food chain."
"Plastic litter can negatively impact sea life such as seabirds and turtles who may mistake litter for food or be entangled in litter. By banning these items, we are taking practical steps towards a low-waste future and healthier 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 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."
Calls to increase and support soft plastic recycling
Plastic Free July Aotearoa campaigns to increase awareness and encourage people to take more steps to live more sustainably.
Spokesperson Juliet Dale says it’s about taking small steps to make plastic-free changes in everyday life.
One of those changes is the opportunity to recycle the mountain of soft plastics Kiwis bin each week.
Soft plastics are the type you can scrunch up in your hand, like the glad wrap from your sandwich or the wrapping from a muesli or chocolate bar.
Soft Plastics NZ is a recycling programme that aims to keep plastic bags and packaging out of landfill.
The scheme takes a range of plastic packaging like bread bags, frozen food bags, toilet paper packaging, confectionery and biscuit wrap, chip bags, food packaging — basically anything made of plastic which can be scrunched into a ball.
It partners with a number of social enterprises around the country and has recycling bins in many supermarkets.
The plastic is collected by contractors, and sent in bales to companies like Future Post, which turn the rubbish into fence posts which are then used in the farming, vineyard and marine industries. The company also manufactures planter boxes for schools.
Soft Plastic Recycling Scheme manager Lyn Mayes says last year 600 tonnes of post-consumer soft plastic was collected through the scheme. She says that equates to around 75 million bags or wrappers, then recycled into 50,000 fence posts.
“We are investigating how to make it easier for people to recycle,” she says.
"The potential for soft plastics to be collected at kerbside would be a game changer for increasing recovery, but we need to have the right systems and infrastructure in place and to ensure it is funded appropriately with the scheme investing in solutions. We are keen to partner with councils in New Zealand to fund and trial similar collections,” she says.
A sustainable use of plastic
Chief executive of Future Post Jerone Wenzlick says the business, only five years old, “can’t keep up with orders”.
The company has teamed up with Kiwibank which has helped the company with a sustainable business loan.
“Future Post had struggled to get funding before Kiwibank came along with its focus on mixing sustainability and profitability", Wenzlick says.
“If it wasn't for that [Future Post] technology, all that plastic would be going into a landfill. We saw really good economics underpinning a profitable business, but also a really good, sustainable way of doing things for the environment.”
He told 1News the fence posts it makes last for “50 years minimum” compared with five to 10 years for timber posts.
There are two factories processing plastic, one in Waiuku, which recycles 21 tonnes of plastic a day, and a new one that’s about to open in Blenheim making posts for vineyards.
To make a fence post, the Waiuku factory processes about 2000 pieces of soft plastic wrapping and bags, harder plastic bottles, ice cream containers and plastic drums at one end and and a tough,1.8m pointed plastic post is produced at the other end.
“We are constantly asked by the public if we can recycle more," Wenzlick says.
He believes unless New Zealanders increase the scale of their recycling, there will be more litter filling up landfills and “we will have to dig up new ones”.
While Kiwibank have lent a hand, Wenzlick says he’s approached the Government for funding several times but says he’d been turned down because the company was “too new to the market”.
“If we had a bit of support from the Government we could recycle more plastic in New Zealand,” he says.
"We're standing up and trying to make a difference but we still don't get much, sorry let me rephrase, any support from the Government."
In a statement back in 2021, the Ministry for the Environment said, "we are glad to see New Zealand companies taking the initiative to find end of life solutions for discarded single-use products".
Rural NZ has recycling options too
Foodstuffs sustainable packaging manager Debra Goulding says the shift away from single-use plastics is a positive move for New Zealand.
Goulding lives in Taumarunui where there aren’t soft plastic recycling collection points, so she buys NZ Post’s soft plastic recycle bags to send to Future Post.
“From my household, I’ve sent back in a year 15 of these bags and I get about a kilo of recyclable rubbish in each one,” she says.
“Because Soft Plastics NZ doesn’t reach every region yet the courier bag system is useful for people who can’t drive or who use online shopping to buy their groceries.”
She says there are more people in Auckland buying the courier bags than anyone else in the country.
Goulding is passionate about reducing waste and promoting recycling and is serious about winning the country's war on waste.
She currently sits on the Board of New Zealand's Packaging Forum, the Steering Committee for Soft Plastic Recycling NZ, the Steering Committee for Glass Forum NZ and the Steering Committee for Food and Beverage Carton Recycling Scheme.
According to the Environment Ministry, it’s estimated New Zealanders generate 17.49 million tonnes of waste per year, of which an estimated 12.59 million tonnes are sent to landfill.
Waste sent to Class 1 landfills (those that accept household waste) increased by 47% from 2,499,571 tonnes in 2009/2010 to 3,682,419 tonnes in 2018/2019.
The ministry says the Class 1 landfill waste amassed is 740kg per person each year.
“While there was a slight decrease in waste to Class 1 landfills in 2019 and 2020, with the decrease in 2020 likely largely due to Covid-19, longer term trends suggest the rate of waste disposal is only increasing for many sites around the country,” the ministry says.
Goulding says New Zealand has a long way to go in terms of lessening our litter.
"We are miles behind in our ability to process and reduce our waste. The dial’s not shifting — we need to understand why we are so wasteful”.
Tips to live plastic-free
Dale says her family is intentional about recycling.
“We just have a separate bin to put our soft plastics in (a bag hanging in the pantry), and around every two-three weeks, one of us takes it down to the supermarket with us, where our closest soft plastic recycling drop-off point is.
She says plastics need to be clean and dry, “which usually they are, however occasionally we need to rinse something, and then we just leave it on the drying rack, or sometimes hang it on the washing line”.
“Compared to many of the other eco-swaps we have made, the impact of soft plastic recycling on our household rubbish is dramatic. I would estimate that about half of most households' rubbish to landfill is soft plastic.
“Ultimately, we also need to decrease the number of soft plastics that we are using in the first place, because, while soft plastic recycling is great, it would be even better if that plastic had never had to be created. Buying in bulk, and refilling are great ways to try to do this,” Dale says.
She'd love to see Kiwis choosing just one single-use plastic to go without for Plastic Free July Aotearoa.
It could be:
- Trying shampoo and conditioner bars
- Use a reusable baking mat instead of baking paper
- Refusing single-use coffee cups
- Trying plastic-free period products
- Saying no to receipts when possible (most receipts have a thing plastic thermo-lining)
- Buying tomato sauce refills in aluminium cans
- Packing a plastic-free lunch
- Using loose-leaf tea or opting for plastic-free tea bags (yes - most tea bags have plastic in them!)
- Baking something from scratch that you would normally buy in plastic packaging, like muesli bars or biscuits
"After choosing one plastic to avoid for the month, I predict that Kiwis will then find another plastic to ditch, and another great solution. I know from my own experience that these small changes can add up to make a big difference. It's all about progress, not perfection," Dale says.
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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