3. JOHN HAYES (National—Wairarapa) Link to this
to the Minister for the Environment
What steps is the Government taking to reduce the amount of rural plastic waste being burnt, buried, or ending up as countryside litter?
Hon Dr NICK SMITH (Minister for the Environment) Link to this
The Government is working with farmers and their support industries to recycle and reuse the plastic waste generated from, mainly, silage wrap. The nationwide Plasback scheme was one of the first accredited product stewardship schemes, and yesterday, at the Agricultural Fieldays in Hamilton, I announced the first grant from the Waste Minimisation Fund to support the programme.
What advice does the Minister have on what is currently happening to this plastic waste, and what will be achieved by the new scheme?
Hon Dr NICK SMITH Link to this
I have been advised that the bulk of the 7,000 tonnes a year of plastic farm waste is currently burnt, which results in the release of toxic chemicals into the air. A further portion is buried. The ambitious goal of this scheme is to establish a network of on-farm recycling facilities throughout New Zealand, with the aim of recycling 2,400 tonnes by July next year. The Government is working to lead the same sort of culture change that has occurred over the past decade or two with households, which now extensively use kerbside recycling, albeit the logistics of distance make the farm-based recycling of plastics more challenging.
What provision has been made to ensure that there are economically viable uses for the collected rural plastic waste—because I am aware that some recycling schemes have got into difficulty because they have not been able to use the collected waste economically?
Hon Dr NICK SMITH Link to this
Of course, it is important, as the member says, not just to collect the waste but also to have a practical use for it. The proposal that the Government is backing involves a recycling facility in Christchurch that is able to use the waste, including the dirty silage waste, and is able to remanufacture it into products that can be used, such as piping and bins. The scheme also provides for the reuse of agricultural chemical containers, which, if left on farms, can result in pollution. This scheme involves the containers being reused, which I think is a good outcome.
Charles ChauvelCan the Minister assure the House that none of the 966 tonnes of e-waste collected at last year’s eDay will end up in New Zealand landfills, and when, if ever, will he approve a product stewardship scheme to allow computer buyers to recycle their old computers at the point of purchase, so as to reduce the 80,000 tonnes of e-waste that ends up in New Zealand landfills each year?
Hon Dr NICK SMITH Link to this
I am quite concerned about what has occurred with regard to e-waste. Currently, a prosecution is before the court where a subcontractor to the 2020 trust was involved in the unlawful export of e-waste. I have asked my ministry to work with the 2020 trust to establish proper systems to ensure that e-waste is properly dealt with. A preferred option would be to have a recycling facility in New Zealand that is able to deal with the different waste streams, and the ministry is exploring whether there are possibilities to use funds from the Waste Minimisation Fund to support that.
I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. I wonder whether the Minister might address the question relating to the product stewardship scheme in this area—
Mr SPEAKER