Chadwick Steve: Waste Minimisation (Solids) Bill — First Reading 
Chadwick Steve: Waste Minimisation (Solids) Bill — First Reading 
[Volume:631;Page:3578] 
STEVE CHADWICK (Labour—Rotorua) 
: 
 I am happy to help the tonsils of the member opposite. I do not find this a laughing matter as I am sure Nick Smith does not. If Dr Smith had come to the Environment Bay of Plenty Sustainable Business Awards last week he would have realised that businesses themselves are paying great attention to waste minimisation. In 2002 this Government set up the New Zealand waste strategy and it is moving really fast on the targets for improving waste recovery and management. The strategy presented a vision for minimising waste and managing it better—that is what we are all hopeful of as is the member promoting the Waste Minimisation (Solids) Bill Nandor Tanczos. The strategy also has a practical programme of both large and small actions for the medium and long term for the commitment of all to reaching those targets. The targets also cover five main packaging materials—paper plastic aluminium steel and glass—by weight of consumption. The strategy has been a bit slow to get off the ground but it certainly now has the traction the Government intended in order to get local governments to desire more effective and efficient waste management and minimisation. We now have wider public concern about our growing waste stream and that was part of the movement behind the strategy. 
A lot of progress has been made. One example is the new packaging accord to reduce packaging content and another accord is to improve recycling. There is a very good partnership between the Government and the packaging industry. Action plans have been prepared for those five main packaging materials. Other examples include the development of web-based local waste exchanges to facilitate the exchange or trading of wastes amongst businesses the establishment of a scheme for tracking used tyres and the development of a New Zealand standard for the production of organic compost to support the diversion of organic material from landfills. We all take the challenge ahead very seriously. The Government is working in partnership with the industry to develop schemes to look at things like unwanted agricultural containers silage wrap and electronic waste. Good progress is being made. 
The purpose of this bill as Labour sees it and the principles behind it are broadly compatible with Labour’s waste policy as articulated in the waste strategy though this bill is concerned only with solid waste which we find quite interesting. The provisions of the bill cover a number of existing policy elements such as waste management plans—and I think that is a good thing—and they provide the statutory basis for some new elements that are currently already under consideration by the Government like waste levies and product stewardship. The bill establishes a centralised agency—and I know that that was wanted when the strategy was first set up—dedicated to minimising the use of material resources and avoiding waste production. This agency would have a coordinating educational and facilitation role as well as being tasked with providing advice to the Minister. The agency would be responsible for setting and monitoring targets. Even though lots of local authorities say they are meeting the targets we could go a bit faster as we could in respect of the reduction of waste disposed of in landfills. 
The landfill levy is an interesting component of the bill and I know that it is a little bit contentious. I look forward to the debate at the select committee about how we get an equitable levy. Some councils say they are meeting their targets—are bang on are ahead—and will not cross-subsidise another authority that is way behind the eight ball. The working group that is advising the ministry on the development of the waste strategy floated the same idea of a levy. In New Zealand this is a really important role for district councils and city councils to have and it gives territorial authorities more power which is an interesting aspect that we need to look at. I point out that 82 percent of local authorities already have waste minimisation plans so great leverage is happening out there in the industry. 
One of the things the select committee is certainly interested in looking at is the responses it will get to the bill. The bill is broadly compatible with the plans the Government has in place now and an enormous amount of work has been undertaken by this Government local government—who are really buying into it—industry and lots of voluntary groups in the community. All of those sectors will have views on the bill and I am sure they will wish those views to be considered. I really look forward to chairing this bill through the Local Government and Environment Committee.