The amount of solid waste produced in Taranaki is increasing, as it is in most regions in New Zealand.
So we need to manage the production and disposal of waste to protect the environment, our health and our economy.
In Taranaki there has been a move to one well managed regional landfill that has little impact on the environment, as older poorly designed landfills have been closed. But modern landfills are designed to meet high environmental standards, making them expensive to build and operate. So we must make an effort to reduce the amount of waste we produce and send to the landfill.
You need to think about what happens to your rubbish when it leaves your house or business. It doesn’t just disappear - in fact much of it doesn’t break down easily. Plastic, steel, aluminium and even paper and cardboard can take tens or hundreds of years to break down in a landfill.
Every person in New Zealand produces nearly one tonne of rubbish each year. So, you can help protect the environment and the cost of operating our landfill by reducing the amount waste that you produce at home or at work. Think about how you can do more to:
Reduce
Reduce waste by not buying or using items that have unnecessary packaging or items that are designed to “throw away”.
Re-use
Conserve resources and reduce waste by repairing or finding another use instead of throwing things away. Companies sometimes exchange wastes for re-use or recycling by another business.
New Plymouth Freecycle is a web-based resources exchange which aims to keep good stuff out of landfills. The group covers the whole of Taranaki and is open to all who want to see that special something reused rather than thrown away
Recycle
Much of the household rubbish going to landfill could be recycled (or composted). If you live in an urban area you can recycle with the kerbside collection or at a transfer station. Rural residents also have access to recycling schemes at most transfer stations. As well as the recycling schemes provided by district councils there are other options for recycling metal, car bodies, used oil, batteries, clothing, computers etc.
Many businesses are also introducing recycling schemes to reduce the volume of waste they produce.
Recycling directory
Compost
Much of our rubbish contains organic waste which doesn’t belong in the landfill. You can have your own system at home to compost kitchen or garden waste, or you can keep your garden waste separate and take it to the transfer station or use a commercial collection.
Recover
In some cases materials or energy can be recovered from waste. Generally they are specialised processes involving the recovery of energy through processing waste, principally by burning. An example of this is a sawmill burning its woodchip waste for its kiln drying process.
Dispose
As a final option any residual material that cannot be recycled or used in any other way will generally have to go to the landfill for safe disposal.
Zero Waste case study
Read our case study on how Taranaki's popular WOMAD festival has tackled the Zero Waste challenge.
Click here to go to this page.