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Waste is one of the sectors that has potential to reduce onshore emissions, mainly methane emissions from landfills. New Zealand also imports a lot of goods. 

Emissions are created up the supply chain in other countries to make and ship these so they are part of NZ’s carbon footprint. Applying the Zero Waste Hierarchy would help reduce these but they don’t get counted in the Emissions Reduction Plan (ERP) because greenhouse gas calculations only include onshore production.

Waste emissions are not just from landfills. The ERP focuses on reducing methane emissions from organics that end up in landfills. It also needs to include the long-lived GHG emissions generated upstream from extraction, production, transport and consumption of packaging and all our other stuff.

Want to find out more about resource recovery, climate change and waste?

Check out this Zero Waste Climate Change and Waste article  and the Zero Waste Network Submission on the Waste Management and Minimisation Plan 2024.

Auckland Council’s Waste Management and Minimisation Plan 2024 provides a road map for achieving zero waste by 2040

The WMMP focuses on ways to reduce waste being created and sent to landfill, with actions aimed at the top of the ‘waste hierarchy’, e.g. redesigning, reusing or repairing items. 

It also supports actions further down, e.g. recycling materials. The WMMP’s goals centre on keeping resources in circulation and minimising harm to the environment and communities from waste.

Investment in the Resource Recovery Network provides more than waste diversion. The social impact from the network leads to greater social cohesion, builds strong communities, cares and protects our environments by way of diversion activities and behaviour change outreach. Including a return of $3 for every $1 spent in investment. 

If you are elected would you be in support of incineration or not?

How might you work closer with the central government on key climate change issues that need both central and local government partnership?

Authentic climate action must include partnership with Māori. How would you support and strengthen Māori involvement in climate decision-making, especially in today’s challenging political environment? 

Where to ask these questions?

Ask these questions and more, at your local meet the candidate events, submit questions to local media, or send them directly to candidates via email or social media.