waste landfill

Results of Ministry for Environment’s compliance programme released

We have released our second annual compliance report, which covers the results of our growing compliance programme under the Waste Minimisation Act 2008. It also captures progress of regulated communities in achieving compliance.

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We have an important regulatory role in overseeing Aotearoa New Zealand’s environmental management system, we thank regulated communities for their efforts at achieving compliance.

There have been significant changes to regulations this year, with the waste levy expanding from July 2021 to reduce the amount of rubbish ending up in landfill.

These changes have meant our compliance role has increased, with staff working closely with waste operators to make sure they understand the new rules.

Other features of the year include:

  • an upgrade of the Online Waste Levy System (OWLS) to better support the administration of the waste levy
  • the recently launched Alleged Breach Notification System, which makes it easier for the public to let the Ministry for the Environment know when they think there has been a breach of the rules
  • a new regulatory compliance and investigations team to respond to these concerns
  • the release of the Territorial Authority Waste Levy Expenditure System (TAWLES), which provides a user-friendly online portal for councils, moving away from the previous manual process.

Effective compliance monitoring and enforcement is a key part of our journey to help transition Aotearoa New Zealand towards a low-waste, low-emission circular economy. 

It helps us:

  • achieve environmental outcomes• ensure public confidence
  • maintain a level playing field for regulated communities.