Improving New Zealand's waste management system

Details of the request

Please accept this as an OIA request for information and answers. All as raised in the article as the link below, from the Centralist, 23 December 2024.

This quote refers to the Environment Minister Penny Simmonds.

''Four of five proposed waste minimisation policies have been shelved, including mandatory recycling standards and performance reporting. Environment Minister Penny Simmonds stated the decision aims to reduce costs for councils and allow flexibility in introducing waste services. She encouraged councils to apply for Waste Minimisation Fund grants to establish new collection systems. However, critics, including Labour’s Rachel Brooking, described the move as a “backwards step,” accusing the government of lacking environmental ambition. Wellington City Councillor Iona Pannett called the cuts “deeply disappointing,” arguing that food scraps form a significant portion of landfill waste, contributing to methane emissions. The Waste Minimisation Fund itself faces reduced government contributions, with $177.7m slashed over four years and criteria broadened to include unrelated freshwater restoration projects.''

It has also been reported that the NZ National debt is as large as was the case under the previous Labour Government. I say it is time to think out of the square and look for a new method of dealing with waste. More of the same does not 'cut the mustard' in 2025.

1. There are some 61 Councils that have to buy and pay for carbon credits for the rubbish they handle. The estimated annual cost for all Councils is some $140 million, Please confirm the actual costs for carbon credits paid for by Councils for the year ending 30 June 2023. When Councils close their annual accounts.
2. Carbon credits need to be 'purchased' because of the supposed GHGs emitted by the waste in each of the Council Districts. Please confirm.
3. How then do the Councils measure the methane that is emitted. Both the values and the quantities, as reported by Councils, for the year ending 31 June 2024
4. Please confirm that your understanding of 'warming' due to methane in NZ is in the order of 0.000004º C per year. Professor David Frame accepts that 'warming due to methane of 4 millionths of one degree Centigrade from all NZ ruminants per year is likely'. Just 0.000004º C per year.
5. Incineration plants have been established in Japan and in Scandinavia. Please check this link. Trash and Recycling in Japan: How the Country Keeps Its Streets Spotless - Geinokai BIJ Big In Japan A quote from this link states.
   ''A central component of Japan’s waste management is the incineration of burnable trash. Materials like food waste, paper, and certain plastics are often sent to high-temperature burning plants. These facilities are designed not only to reduce the volume of waste but also to harness the energy generated from burning. This waste-to-energy process helps power local communities, reducing the need for other energy sources.''
   Please advise what research is MfE doing to action a similar waste management system here in New Zealand.
6. If MfE or another Government organization is not investigating a new waste management system, then please advise why not.

OIA@mfe.govt.nz