Waste and resource efficiency strategy

Waste and resource efficiency strategy

The New Zealand waste and resource efficiency strategy presents the Government’s priorities for minimising waste and improving waste management. It sets out what the Government wants to achieve, and the tools to help us get there.  

The new strategy replaces Te Rautaki Para | New Zealand waste strategy adopted by the previous Government in March 2023.  

The outcomes set out in the strategy are: 

• reduction of waste disposal per person 
• increasing reuse and recycling of materials and products so that we retain valuable resources in the economy 
• minimising emissions and environmental harm from waste and litter 
• ensuring resource recovery and disposal facilities are managed to minimise their environmental impacts 
• limiting the environmental harm caused by contaminated sites including legacy sites. 

This is how we will achieve these outcomes: 

• fit-for-purpose legislation that supports: 
  • an efficient market for waste management and recycling 
  • optimal investment decisions 
  • appropriate responsibilities across the supply chain 
• cost-effective, outcomes-focused investment of the waste disposal levy in infrastructure, innovation and local projects 
• working with the sector, business, iwi/Māori, local government and communities to develop and implement practical cost-effective solutions 
• where necessary, targeted policy and regulatory measures 
• using the waste hierarchy to guide decision-making, enabling us to keep resources in the economy at their highest value where possible