In the Waikato Region the amount of solid waste produced is increasing. Find out about the quantity and composition of solid waste produced. You’ll also find information about waste disposal and its effects, what we are doing to reduce waste in the Waikato Region, and community views about waste. Learn about what you can do to help reduce waste in our Region.On this Page:
Ka tuwhaina te huware ki te whenua, e hoki atu ranei ki to waha?
What you waste or throw away, you can never recover.
What is solid waste?
People throw things away when they do not have a use for them or think they have no obvious value. Solid waste occurs as:
- Solid Waste - for example, household rubbish, demolition rubble
- sludges or biosolids - for example, sewage sludge.
You can find about gaseous wastes in All About Air and about some liquid wastes in Applying Effluent to the Land and in Runoff and Leaching to the Waikato River.
Find out about Contaminated Sites and hazardous waste.
A Maori perspective
For many years, tangata whenua of the Region have been concerned about the release of pollutants into the environment. Historically, these concerns have focused on water (such as sewage discharges into the Waikato River). However there is also a strong interest in discharges to land, and the effects that those discharges could have on:
In Maori culture, Papatuanuku (the earth) is very important and tangata whenua have a vital role as kaitiaki (guardians). If waste disposal reduces or destroys the life supporting capacity of soils, it damages the mauri (life essence) of the land.
Find out more about the relationship between Maori and the land.
Waste in the Waikato Region
In a recent community perceptions survey (2000), waste disposal was the second most mentioned environmental issue in the Waikato Region (water pollution was the most mentioned). People are concerned about waste facilities, methods of waste disposal, and the cost of rubbish disposal. Find out more about community views about waste.
In our Region, the amount of solid waste for disposal is increasing. Also, wastes from areas outside our Region (such as Auckland and Tauranga) are likely to be increasingly brought into the Waikato Region for disposal. Find out about what happens to our waste.
At the same time we are becoming more aware of the potential effects of solid waste disposal. Poorly built and maintained landfills near waterways can leak contaminants into the water. Recently many unsatisfactory disposal sites have been closed or upgraded. Find out where waste landfills are located in our Region.
Modern landfills are better managed with greater emphasis on avoiding environmental effects. But landfill space is becoming scarce as older sites are closed and suitable new sites are harder to find.
A well managed and appropriately located modern landfill with leachate collection, impermeable liners and landfill gas management systems is unlikely to have significant adverse effects on the environment. The resource consent process ensures that all sites meet strict environmental criteria.
Less waste
If we can reduce the amount of waste we produce there will be less adverse effects from waste generation and disposal.
City and district councils have day-to-day responsibility for waste collection and management, including waste minimisation. They prepare waste management plans following the waste management hierarchy of:
- Reduce - support products that will produce less waste, for example, those with less packaging.
- Reuse - for example, donate unwanted clothing or household goods to opportunity shops.
- Recycle – for example, aluminium cans, paper and glass can be collected and reprocessed.
- Recovery of resources - for example kitchen and garden waste can be composted.
- Residual disposal.
Find out how you can help to reduce waste in the Waikato Region.
What we are doing
Environment Waikato helps city and district councils in their efforts to reduce waste by:
- Encouraging people to reuse waste through a waste exchange network.
- Promoting cleaner production methods for businesses.
- Promoting composting to reduce the amounts of waste dumped at landfills.
- Improving the management of waste disposal sites through the resource consent process.
In 2003 Environment Waikato released its Waste Management Strategy for the Waikato Region. The strategy sets out how Environment Waikato can help city and district councils, and local communities achieve their waste minimisation goals.
For Environment Waikato’s policy on waste management check out our Regional Policy Statement. For rules and regulations on solid waste disposal check out the Proposed Regional Plan.
Find out more
Find out about reducing household waste and waste from businesses and check out where your local recycling facilities are located.
Glossary
| Kaitiaki |
|
Guardians |
| Mauri |
|
Life force |
| Tangata Whenua |
|
People of the land |
| Taonga |
|
Something prized or treasured |
| Waahi tapu |
|
Sacred site |