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SPRING 2007 |
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One in ten local councils and four major retailers are backing the Packaging Council's Rest and Recycle campaign. Click here to see the campaign. Articles for the summer edition of ACCORDing to PACKAGING are due 28 February 2008. We welcome and encourage those involved in bringing the Packaging Accord 2004 to life to contribute to this newsletter. Please send us your stories and comments so they can be shared with others. In This Issue... Packaging Council PACKAGING ACCORD YEAR THREE PROGRESS REPORT LAUNCH
The Packaging Council hosted a breakfast event to celebrate the launch of the Packaging Accord Year Three Progress Report on the 15th November 2007 at the Ellerslie Novotel, Auckland. The Honourable Nanaia Mahuta, Associate Minister for the Environment gave the opening address on behalf of central government. The Associate Minister said "It is great to note that the overall recovery of packaging has hit 57 per cent, which is significantly higher than last year. The Accord is working well, and this is a reflection of the commitment made by Accord members. We should celebrate this." Tony Nowell, Chair of the Packaging Accord Governing Board said "We have already surpassed the five-year recycling targets for paper and steel and are at least 95% of the way to achieving the targets for aluminium, glass and plastic. This achievement is down to sheer hard work" Basil Morrison, President of Local Government New Zealand highlighted on the major role the local authorities have played in the success of the Accord to date, through the provision of waste and recycling services, waste minimisation programmes and also as a major purchaser. "The Year Three Progress Report continues to demonstrate that success can be achieved through co-ordination of the sectors, and I congratulate all who have been involved in the continuing progress Year Three has brought" Mr Morrison said. All the speeches and photographs from the event can be viewed on the Packaging Accord website: www.packagingaccord.org.nz/launch.php Both the full Packaging Accord Year Three Progress Report and a summary version can be viewed on the Packaging Accord website: www.packagingaccord.org.nz/report_new.php Click here to read the Packaging Accord Governing Board's media release REST AND RECYCLE CAMPAIGN
New Zealanders will be asked to make this summer holiday a green one by following 12 simple steps recommended by the Packaging Council of New Zealand. On the 1st day of Christmas the council sent to me, a reminder to recycle this summer... Several days into the campaign, one in ten local councils from Invercargill to Manukau is actively promoting the Rest & Recycle message to encourage New Zealanders to recycle more this summer.Paul Curtis, Executive Director of the Packaging Council says councils are using the materials provided by the Packaging Council in several different ways. "Councils are tailoring its use to meet local community needs. For example to ensure tourists get the message,Kaikoura will be promoting the 12 steps to a Greener Christmas at camp sites; Manukau and Wellington will be using in their general promotions; Invercargill and Westland have it up on their websites and in Rotorua you will see large posters at the recycling facility. We're being approached by councils each day and encourage them to join with us so wherever you spend the holidays in New Zealand, you'll get the message and more importantly you'll know just what can be recycled and how to do it." "The message is being reinforced this year in retail outlets around the country and this is already generating interest from shoppers." On the 2nd day of Christmas, my supermarket said please use an eco-bag and reuse when you can... and advertising over the Christmas/New Year period. campaign with messages communicated via mailers, instore radio and POS. Messages will be implemented in the lead-up to Christmas and the period immediately following, when customers are likely to be disposing of items; Mr Curtis said that this initiative was sparked by the huge impact on shopper's attitudes that the Make a Difference campaign to reduce the number of plastic bags has made. "It's a natural extension to ask people to focus over the holiday period on a wide range of things that we can recycle- packaging, cards, wrapping paper, Christmas trees. New Zealanders generate an estimated 30% more waste over the summer holidays and most of it can be recycled if people put it into the recycling crate rather than the rubbish bin. The amount of tonnes of glass recycled actually goes up by about 50% in January but we know for example that sales of glass and cans go up 3 times our normal levels over the holiday period. People tend to know the collection times when they are at home but often these vary during the holiday period or they may be down at the bach and not know local arrangements." "It's great that local councils, recycling operators, local community newspapers and brand owners and retailers are working together to Make a Difference to our environment. We encourage other retailers and councils who aren't yet signed up to this to get in touch and we will provide them with the 12 days to a greener Christmas poster." For full details on the campaign go to: 2007 ENVIRONMENTAL PACKAGING AWARDS EVENING
The 2007 Environmental Packaging Awards presentation evening was held on Friday 31 August with Hon David Parker, then Acting Minister for the Environment presenting the Awards. The presentation evening was a great success with over 230 people attending. Congratulations to all our winners, particularly Maniaia Mist Paper Solutions who won the highly coveted Supreme Award. The Awards form a major part of the Packaging Council's communications and PR strategy for 2007/08 and the winning entries are used as examples of our successes under the Accord when we speak with the media, politicians and government officials. Many of the winning entries were displayed at the Packaging Accord Year 3 Progress Report launch. Click here to view the entries and the category winners WASTE MINIMISATION BILL - PACKAGING COUNCIL SUBMISSION The Packaging Council entered a comprehensive submission on the Supplementary Order Paper to the Waste Bill and presented its submission to the Select Committee on the 8th November 2007. The key recommendations we made to the Select Committee were: as a product and be part of its own product stewardship scheme. those schemes amnesty from the priority product list and regulation. local authorities as of right. economic assessment of waste management to identify where additional funding is required and at what level that funding needs to be to achieve the desired outcome. whole is a user of products and materials and a disposer of waste, whilst the commercial waste industry is a collector and processor of waste. These are two different perspectives and both should be recognised to provide balance. stewardship schemes when making a new bylaw or amending an existing bylaw. Click here to download a copy of the Packaging Council's written submission on the Waste Minimisation & Resource Recovery Bill. Click here to download a copy of the Packaging Council's oral submission on the Waste Minimisation & Resource Recovery Bill, presented to the Select Committee in November 2007. WASTE MINIMISATION BILL - PACKAGING ACCORD GOVERNING BOARD SUBMISSION On behalf of the Packaging Accord Governing Board, the Secretariat entered a submission on the Supplementary Order Paper to the Waste Bill and presented its submission to the Select Committee on the 8th November 2007 Click here to download the written submission Environmental Business Action Group (EBAG)
EBAG asked Ellerslie Flower Show visitors to "use the right bins" for recycling. Behind the scenes at the Ellerslie Flower Show it was not just about the spectacular flowers and landscapes, the show's organisers were also doing their bit to make 2007 the greenest year ever by encouraging the 75,000 people who visited the show to use the recycling bins provided. Sharon Jereb, Environment Manager for the Packaging Council said that this was the third year that the packaged goods industry had worked with the Show's organisers. "In 2005, we introduced recycling to the Flower Show Company; last year we started working together early in the planning stages which led to dramatically better results. This year we focussed on getting the recycling message to the visitors. As the biggest show of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere, the event attracts visitors from all over the world, many of whom expect to see comprehensive recycling systems in place." The initiative is part of the work of the Environmental Business Action Group (EBAG) which brings together industry, local councils and recycling operators under the framework of the voluntary Packaging Accord. Ms Jereb says that they are proud to be involved with Ellerslie Flower Show for the 3rd year running: "The organisers showed great leadership in proactively looking beyond recycling to the whole waste services at the Show. Drawing on past experience they were able to determine exactly what waste is generated resulting in the installation of waste and recycling bins which better fit their needs. This means in turn a reduction in truck movements and hence the carbon footprint around the waste services." "The recycling wheelie bins were provided by Waste Management and we provided "use the right bin' flags to sit along side the recycling bins to emphasize to visitors that they need to think about what goes where. When eco-awareness becomes the normal practise these habits transform our workplaces, our homes and the communities we live in. The Ellerslie Flower Show epitomises our clean green image". "Considering the environmental impact of events is no longer a 'nice to do' it is becoming an essential part of the planning process. Major events and conferences are estimated to contribute in excess of NZ$0.5billion to the New Zealand economy and show case the country to participants and visitors from around the world." The Packaging Council is working with the Ministry for the Environment and Crown Research Institutes such as Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research to provide organisers with a comprehensive package which will help them in their drive towards "carbon neutrality". Plastics Sector  PLASTICS NEW ZEALAND BEST PRACTICE ENERGY PROGRAMME HIGHLY COMMENDED AT THE 2007 EECA ENERGYWISE AWARDS The Plastics New Zealand Best Practice Energy Programme was entered into the 'Transpower Project Innovation Award' Category of the EECA Energywise Awards and was selected as one of the five finalists. The programme was awarded a Highly Commended at the presentation event on the 1st November 2007. The judges were impressed by cross-industry cooperation and willingness to share information. They commended the plastics industry for actively pursuing opportunities identified using a multi-faceted approach and recognised that Plastics New Zealand had uncovered significant potential economic benefits for the 400 companies in the industry. Further information on the Best Practice Energy Programme can be gained through www.plastics.org.nz or by contacting Simon Wilkinson, Plastic New Zealand's Best Practice Programme Facilitator, simon@plastics.org.nz PLASTICS NEW ZEALAND BEST PRACTICE PROGRAMME LAUNCH 'ICONIC KIWI PLASTIC PRODUCTS - IMPROVING THEIR ENVIRONMENTAL FOOTPRINT' In this recent publication Plastics New Zealand has profiled six iconic Kiwi plastic products. These are the first in a series that will look at plastic products that have made a difference in the New Zealand environment and to the lives of New Zealanders and many people overseas. These case studies highlight the innovation and Kiwi ingenuity that went into their design and manufacture. An important aspect of these profiles is to identify improvements made to the environmental footprint in the different phases of the product's lifecycle. The iconic Kiwi plastic products are: For further information and to download a copy of the publication please visit www.plastics.org.nz Glass Sector
CO-MINGLING The Glass Forum has been successful in its campaign to raise awareness of the potential impact to glass recycling if Auckland City and Manukau City follow that of North Shore and Waitakere cities in introducing a co-mingled recyclables collection service. STEERING GROUP UPDATE This has been a very busy period for the Steering Group who met several times to prepare a detailed submission to the Supplementary Order Paper (SOP) to the Waste Minimisation (Solids) Bill. The Steering Group also met with Rachel Depree, General Manager of the Ministry for the Environment's Sustainable Industries Group to discuss the potential impacts of this proposed legislation on our industry. To provide an informed legal opinion on the SOP as written, we also commissioned specialist Resource Management lawyers Cowper Campbell to help draft amendments which address the issues raised. The approach which we have taken is to be pragmatic. It is clear from all our soundings with the Select Committee that a waste levy and some form of product stewardship are inevitable given cross party support for waste minimisation. Accordingly we believe that providing solutions rather than presenting problems is the best way forward. GLASS PACKAGING FORUM SUBMISSION There are a small number of specific changes that the Forum would like to see made to the Bill to ensure... are amended; available economic and environmental analysis and reasoning; Accord are integrated into the scheme of the Bill as efficiently as possible; costs', be drawn from the total funds raised via the levy prior to paying shares in the 'profit' to territorial authorities and that the portion of the levy paid to local authorities should be used to perform functions additional to those already being carried out under existing waste minimisation plans; varied; and consistent bylaws relating to waste when it is appropriate to do so; and interests of the wider commercial sector in addition to that of the narrower commercial waste sector. LAUNCH OF THE GLASS CRUSHER
The mobile glass crusher was launched in front of Parliament on 9th October. After formal speeches from the Associate Minister for the Environment, David Parker (left), Nandor Tanczos for the Green Party, David Carter, Chairman for the Forum and Donald Nelson representing Lion Nathan (sponsor), children from Thorndon Primary School joined the party to watch the Minister officially christen the machine. The party was able to inspect the material produced by the machine in a range of particle sizes 9.5mm to 19mm and the children were able to view the crusher for which a 'Naming Competition' was announced. All schools of New Zealand incorporating Years 1 - 8 will be invited to present possible names as suggested by the pupils and the successful school will receive a prize of $1000 to support a specific school activity. In anticipation of rain, guests and VIP's including members of the Select Committee hearing the Waste Bill and other MPs; Nick Smith, Nicky Wagner; Steve Chadwick; Lianne Dalziel and Mayor of Porirua Jenny Brash were provided with Glass Forum umbrellas - but we were lucky to have a wonderfully sunny Wellington day. Ministry staff commented that it was one of the best attended functions of its type. The only disappointment was that we could not see the crusher actually at work because of concerns about noise distracting our political leaders inside! The crusher itself will be travelling initially through the South Island processing those stockpiles of glass requiring crushing. The launch of the glass crusher has been widely covered in newspapers up and down the country with particular interest in our target audience in South Island. Whilst TV and radio attended the launch event, there has been little subsequent coverage largely because the crusher was not able to be operated. However we are working with the media to have coverage of the "1st crush" in the South and to launch the schools competition on Radio NZ. ALTERNATIVE USES FOR GLASS An arrangement in principle has been made with Smart Bottles, which is a small voluntary container recovery system in the South Island. The Forum will be able to monitor and assess the successfulness of this operation in return for a grant. This cooperation will allow the Forum to be actively involved in a non mandatory container recovery system showing that legislation is not a prerequisite for the use of returnable bottles. PALMERSTON CITY COUNCIL RECYCLING SURVEY Work continues in both the information gathering and the development of the Castle Bin collection system. A full and detailed report is nearing completion reviewing domestic glass collection throughout the country. The consultant TPL made a joint presentation with the Forum on Thursday 8th November at the WasteMINZ annual conference. COMMUNICATIONS If you haven't been on to our website, please take a look at it and do provide us with your feedback and your stories. WasteMINZ CONFERENCE In a joint presentation with Andrew Slack and Pip Chrystall from Palmerston North, John Webber, General Manager of the Glass Packaging Forum, outlined how a 5% crushed glass aggregate can provide a regional solution to recycling of excess glass. Steel Sector
HANABLE THE CAN-ABLE MONSTER MAKING COMPETITION WINNERS ANNOUNCED Household steel cans have been given a new lease of life for a short time as Auckland primary school children have raided recycle bins to create steel can monsters for an environmental initiative introduced by CANZBAC, the steel can recycling body. More than 70 steel can monsters were created for the competition run by CANZBAC, the public face of Steel Can Recycling in New Zealand, to raise awareness of steel can recycling. The winning entries were selected by the CANZBAC judges for their creativity and innovative use of cans. First place winner is Holy Cross School's Room 10 for its 'Rocka Shocka 5000' and the Runner-Up place winner is Meadowbank School's Room 7 for its 'Geoff'. The People's Choice Award winner is Meadowbank School's Room 12 for its 'Robot'. The Associate Minster for the Environment and Minster for Youth Affairs Nanaia Mahuta presented the Holy Cross School monster makers their prizes on Tuesday 27 November at a special school assembly. The inaugural competition was open to Auckland Primary Schools (Yrs 1 - 6) and CANZBAC is planning to offer the competition to other regions in New Zealand next year. CANZBAC Chairman Paul Mottershead says the monster competition is a fun way for everyone to get involved with a project as well as learn some important environmental principles. "Education around recycling starts at a young age and what children learn filters through to their parents and friends - it's often our young ones who become champions of a good cause," says Paul. Over the fourth school term, pupils were given the opportunity to learn about how everyday items are recycled and how they can make changes in their lives to help preserve the earth's precious resources. Children were asked to bring clean, empty recyclable steel cans (food tins, coffee or infant formula etc) from home to use to create a 'monster'. There were no limitations on the size of their creation as long as steel cans were used. Class teachers of the winning monsters say the competition was a fun activity which also provided learning around teamwork, logistics and the environment. In groups, children worked on separate parts of the monsters' bodies to make a whole. Holy Cross School started on an environmental path this year with a reducing waste programme introduced this year and a worm farm planned for 2008. Meadowbank School is a Green/Gold Enviroschool. Photos of the complete monsters were emailed to the CANZBAC website where hundreds of people voted for their favourite monsters in the People's Choice Award section. The winning school received $2000 dollars for the school to put towards environmental education programmes, a Hanable the CAN-able clock and a framed certificate. Each child in the winning class received a Hanable the CAN-able t-shirt. The runner-up school wins $500, a Hanable the CAN-able clock and a framed certificate. Each child in the winning class will receive a Hanable the CAN-able t-shirt. The 'People's Choice' entry wins a $100 Noel Leeming voucher and all participating schools receive a Hanable the CAN-able clock and a certificate of participation. All people who voted for the 'People's Choice' award went into a draw to win a Hanable the CAN-able clock and t-shirt. The 71 steel can monster entries can be viewed online at www.canzbac.co.nz. Even though steel cans are easy to recycle, latest steel recycling rates show only 57% of steel in New Zealand was recovered in the year to March 2007. Each year New Zealanders use more than 400 million cans. The average family uses six steel cans each week, but people only recycle around half of these. THE WINNERS - ROOM 10, HOLY CROSS SCHOOL
Introducing Rocka Shocka 5000! Get Ready To Be Rocked By Rocka Shocka 5000! Paper Sector
NZPPA / New Zealand Paper Forum made a further submission on the Supplementary Order Paper (SOP) to the Waste Minimisation Bill. We acknowledged a number of good changes made to the Bill, but expressed that we still had a number of significant concerns especially around the powers of the Minister to declare product stewardship systems, where we would see the voluntary approach still being the best option. NZPPA / New Zealand Paper Forum are carrying out a 'whole of paper' recycling mass balance - as opposed to the current paperboard packaging mass balance. Nandor Tanczos was invited to the Paper Forum's final meeting of the year to speak about the Waste Bill and SOP. The paper sector has been heavily involved with government procurement of timber and paper products on a working group to develop a paper environmental rating system to assist government procurement officers in making decisions on buying paper that has good environmental credentials. The new STAR rating system will be confirmed and rolled out through the Ministry for the Environment's Govt3 website. The Ministry for Economic Development and Ministry for the Environment will be working with other products on an ongoing basis. Local Government
Over the last two months Local Government New Zealand has been focusing its attention on the Supplementary Order Paper (SOP) to the Waste Minimisation Bill. We prepared a local government submission on the SOP, with two of the key points being that we support the development of new waste legislation with a focus on shared responsibility for waste minimisation and that we support the product stewardship approach, but request a clear purpose and objective of "product stewardship". The full submission is available on our website www.lgnz.co.nz. In November, we attended a hearing before the Local Government and Environment Select Committee. A number of councils were also invited to speak to the Committee in November. Assuming new legislation will be passed that closely reflects the proposals in the SOP, our focus is now on the implementation issues and implications for councils. We have been undertaking analysis and discussion to raise awareness of implementation issues and the recent WasteMINZ conference provided an important opportunity for this discussion. Also in November, Basil Morrison, President of Local Government New Zealand spoke at the launch of the Packaging Accord Year Three annual report. It was great to see so much industry support at this event, cementing the commitment of all the sectors in reducing packaging waste. In speaking at the launch event, Basil Morrison acknowledged the difficult and high profile decisions that Auckland City Council and Manukau City Council made this year on their waste contracts and facilities. These decisions are now, deservedly, being held up positively, and certainly demonstrate how councils have a significant role in working towards waste minimisation outcomes. In terms of new recycling initiatives, Local Government New Zealand is pleased to be part of the steering group for the Government's Recycling in Public Places Project. We will be watching the pilot with interest and sharing information amongst councils. The recommendations on any longer term opportunities for this project are of particular interest. We are also pleased to be supporting the Packaging Council's "Rest and Recycle" Christmas campaign, by providing information and tools for councils to encourage recycling during the peak holiday period. For more Local Government New Zealand news visit our website www.lgnz.co.nz Look out for the latest edition of the Local Government Quarterly newsletter, which is due to be released in mid-December. Ministry for the Environment
WASTE MATTERS The team at the Ministry for the Environment congratulates members of the Packaging Accord on their success towards the Accord's objectives over the last three years. These successes reflect the commitment they have shown, the strength of the cooperation between different groups, and the innovative events and programmes that have been put in place. More consumers and businesses are recognising the advantages of green products and the growing expertise in the field, including that from the Packaging Accord, means schemes are developing faster and achieving more. This year progress in other product stewardship schemes has included: During the year the Ministry has supported and promoted these schemes, worked with other sectors to reduce their waste, supported community programmes and provided guidance for local government. In September this year the government proposed a Supplementary Order Paper to the Waste Minimisation (Solids) Bill. We expect this Bill to be passed in the first half of next year. The support and mechanisms provided for in the Bill will allow those industries who haven't been able to create voluntary product stewardship schemes to meet their responsibilities as well. The Bill provides an opportunity to put progressive legislation in place that allows integrated solutions to reduce waste. The legislation will lead to a more consistent, cooperative and transparent approach to addressing waste minimisation priorities and working towards solutions that are fair and equitable for all. The Bill offers a full range of product stewardship tools so businesses can choose the option that best supports the preferred solution for their industry and product, if a purely voluntary approach is not adequate. The Bill ensures that businesses operating product stewardship schemes for their products are also able to address the packaging in the same scheme if appropriate. For example, Resene's Paintwise recycling scheme collects both paint and paint packaging. This allows the businesses involved to offer a complete solution for their customers and means the Packaging Accord is able to focus on issues generic to the whole packaging industry. The Bill also offers the ability for the government to give voluntary schemes like the Packaging Accord more recognition and preferential treatment in government purchasing. The waste initiatives will help New Zealand move along the path of sustainability. They are based on the Prime Minister's aim to be the first nation to be truly sustainable. The opportunities from a global market that puts a higher value on environmental integrity are enormous. The Ministry is looking forward to another successful year ahead for product stewardship schemes and for all businesses that reduce the environmental impacts of their products. We look forward to working with you next year. PUBLIC SPACE RECYCLING Prime Minister Helen Clark and Environment Minister Trevor Mallard have announced that Wellington, Far North, Kaikoura and Christchurch will be the first four local councils in New Zealand to trial recycling facilities in public places under the Government's Recycling in Public Places Initiative. $4.6 million over three years has been allocated to the project to establish around 600 recycling bins throughout New Zealand. The Ministry for the Environment has established a Recycling in Public Places Steering Group, to provide high level direction, guidance and support to the Ministry's core project team. This group is made up of representatives from the Ministry, Packaging Council of New Zealand, Waste Management Institute, Tourism Industry Association New Zealand, New Zealand Retailers Association and Local Government New Zealand. Media Round Up NEW KERBSIDE RECYCLING SERVICE SET TO START MID 2008 Recycling will be easier for Auckland residents next year after confirmation of the city's new mobile recycling bin supplier and kerbside recycling collections contractor. Auckland City Council Works and Services Committee chairperson, Councillor Neil Abel, said the new 240-litre recycling wheelie bins - to be rolled out in mid-2008 to coincide with the opening of the materials recovery facility - will be provided by Schaefer Systems International... Click here to see more. A PACKAGING TAX IS A TAX TOO FAR New Zealanders do not want to pay container deposit taxes on top of the raft of new taxes proposed recently, delegates at a conference to discuss the proposed Waste Minimisation Legislation were told... Click here to see more. NZ TO HOST WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY New Zealand, one of the first countries to pledge a carbon-neutral future, will be the main host of World Environment Day 2008, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) announced. The challenge of climate change and threats to polar regions and beyond were spotlighted in Norway as part of World Environment Day (WED) 2007... Click here to see more. AUCKLAND SCHOOL EARNS TOP ENVIRONMENTAL AWARD Beachlands School is one of only two schools nationwide to be awarded the prestigious Green-Gold Enviroschools Award, this year. A further 33 schools in the Auckland region are to receive silver or bronze awards, in recognition of their commitment to working towards becoming more sustainable, at a ceremony held at Meadowbank Primary School on Friday... Click here to see more. |
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