Submit on the Govt consultation to regulate harmful plastic products, including packaging

Published by Hannah Blumhardt on September 2, 2019September 2, 2019

On Friday 9 August 2019, Minister Eugenie Sage MP announced the Government will be consulting on a proposal to declare a range of problematic waste streams “priority products”, by the end of this year. This would mean that a product stewardship scheme for those products MUST be developed. The proposed products are:

• Tyres
• Electrical and electronic products
• Agrichemicals and their containers
• Refrigerants
• Farm plastics
• Packaging (including single-use plastic packaging and beverage packaging).

Product stewardship schemes make those who design, manufacture, sell, use and dispose of a product responsible for ensuring the product is effectively reduced, reused, recycled or recovered, and for managing any harm that product causes when it becomes waste. Such schemes can take the burden off consumers, councils and the environment to manage the harmful and costly effects of unregulated products.

This consultation is a big deal and could mean big strides forward in reducing plastic pollution in Aotearoa. You can check out the consultation document and submission form on the Ministry for the Environnment website. Submissions are open until 4 October 2019 and we encourage everyone to make a submission.

If you feel like you need more information to help you submit, check out these resources produced by members of APPA:

• The Rubbish Trip’s three infosheets that summarise key content from the 56-page consultation document.
• WasteMINZ’s What You Need to Know about the Government’s Priority Product Stewardship Consultation, which summarises the consultation and covers some key points for possible consideration in submissions.
• The Rubbish Trip and the New Zealand Product Stewardship Council are holding an Online Live Webinar and Q&A on Thursday 5 September 2019, 7-8pm. The webinar will cover the basics of the consultation content & some key concepts to consider, before opening the floor to questions and answers to anyone in attendance. Don’t miss out!