“We are absolutely thrilled with the government’s announcement that it will  expand and increase the waste levy and invest in resource recovery infrastructure. These are bold and important steps that will create employment in communities right across  the country, reduce emissions and address the crisis in plastic and food wastes,” said Marty Hoffart, chairperson of the  Zero Waste Network Aotearoa.

“Reuse and recycling are major job creators; they provide opportunities to reuse materials and build community resilience. Resource recovery is the future. Landfilling and offshoring waste are the past.”

“New Zealanders know that we need to change the way we do our recycling. The $124 million investment will build onshore capacity for real recycling. We don’t want to see more recycling going to landfills and don’t want it shipped offshore to pollute other places. In the age of climate change and Covid-19, we urgently need to build our own systems to deal with the valuable resources that we currently call ‘waste’. When we do this, we create employment and innovation.”

“The changes to the Waste Levy are  essential to creating a real pathway towards the circular economy. We cannot go on with the ‘take-make-waste’ linear way of doing business anymore. The revenue  generated through the waste levy  allows New Zealand to invest in building  the  infrastructure and awareness we need to deal with our waste problems .”

“Waste accounts for 4% of New Zealand’s emissions – much of which comes from food waste in landfills. Dealing with this as a resource provides us a perfect opportunity to address several issues: climate mitigation, food security, soil health and community employment. Expanding and increasing the levy will give us the investment capital we need to reduce food waste.”

“We appreciate the leadership and motivation of the Associate Minister for the Environment Eugenie Sage in advancing a serious waste agenda. It is wonderful to see the progress that has been made by the Minister and the Ministry for the Environment in implementing the  changes we need to make the shift to  a low waste, low carbon economy.