Tackling plastic pollution in New Zealand: Challenges and opportunities in waste management

Plastic pollution has emerged as one of the most pressing environmental issues worldwide, and New Zealand is also not immune to this. As an island nation reliant on its natural landscapes for tourism, agriculture, and biodiversity, the impacts of plastic waste pose not only an environmental risk but an economic one as well. For waste management professionals, addressing plastic pollution in the New Zealand context requires a focused strategy that balances innovation, regulation, and community engagement.

Dr Deepa Goswami, community waste minimisation advisor at Porirua City Council and member of the Behaviour Change Sector Group Steering Committee explores the issue and solutions below. 

New Zealand generates a significant amount of waste per capita. New Zealanders send more than 12.6 million tonnes of waste to landfills each year, with plastics making up a considerable portion of this volume. Much of this plastic is single-use, non-recyclable, or poorly sorted, contributing to environmental degradation and increasing pressure on landfill infrastructure.

Plastics are particularly problematic due to their durability and resistance to degradation. Once in the environment, they can persist for hundreds of years, breaking down into microplastics that contaminate soil, freshwater systems, and oceans.

In New Zealand, plastic pollution is created from several key sources:

1.  Consumer packaging: The majority of single-use plastics originate from food and beverage packaging, plastic bags, and takeaway containers.
2.  Agricultural plastics: Items like bale wrap, silage covers, and chemical containers contribute significantly in rural areas.
3. Fishing and aquaculture gear: Lost or discarded fishing nets, ropes, and buoys are common sources of marine plastic.
4. Construction waste: Plastic pipes, insulation materials, and packaging contribute to the waste generated by the building sector.

The country has taken a series of policy steps to address this plastic crisis. These policy shifts are supported by the Waste Minimisation Act 2008, which provides the legal framework for product stewardship schemes. In 2020, the government had also announced six priority products for product stewardship, placing responsibility on producers to manage the lifecycle of their products, including post-consumer waste.

Despite growing public support for environmental action, plastic waste management in New Zealand faces several practical challenges:

• Limited domestic processing: New Zealand exports a large proportion of its plastic waste, particularly lower-grade plastics, due to a lack of advanced sorting and reprocessing infrastructure.
• Microplastics: These are difficult to monitor and remove and have been detected in both freshwater and marine ecosystems across the country.
• Rural waste: In agricultural and remote areas, waste collection and recycling services are often limited which may lead to improper handling of plastics.

In spite of these hurdles, New Zealand has seen several promising developments in waste minimisation and plastic recycling. The emergence of closed-loop systems, such as Future Post and initiatives under the Soft Plastics Recycling Scheme, show how plastics can be diverted from landfills and given a second life.

There is also growing interest in bioplastics and compostable alternatives, though their sustainability depends heavily on how they are managed post-use. Compostable plastics, for instance, often require industrial composting facilities, which are not widely available across the country (see this WasteMINZ map for further info).

Greater investment in design for recyclability, refill, and reuse models could reduce dependence on landfills and offshore recycling. Moreover, expanding producer responsibility schemes could incentivise manufacturers to design more sustainable packaging and reduce virgin plastic use. Public awareness and behavioural change are essential too.

To support this behaviour change and reduce their own plastic consumption, people and organisations can:

• practice refusing freebies, promotional items or plastic wrapped giveaways unless essential,
• choose quality over quantity - repair, reuse, or upcycle instead of replacing,
• set weekly plastic challenges (e.g., no plastic wraps this week),
• make it a fun challenge with their family or workplace - who can create the least plastic waste?
• encourage the adoption of reusable items like water bottles, shopping bags, coffee cups, and travel cutlery,
• support businesses that prioritise reusable options or offer packaging-free alternatives (for example, this reusable container at select New World stores),
• highlight role models and share success stories of individuals and communities reducing plastic waste (for example, Stratford District Council's Collect the caps competition - pictured),
• use public commitment and consistency principle of behaviour change by creating a visible pledge board at libraries, schools or community halls, such as: "I pledge not to buy non-recyclable plastics" or "I will bring my own container for takeaways",
• use group reflection and goal setting theory by organising shared waste audit days with families or school classes, where people bring a week’s plastic waste, sort it together, and reflect on change areas.

However, long-term change requires embedding waste literacy into the national curriculum and supporting local governments to deliver consistent messaging and services.

Building a zero-waste culture hinges on sustained engagement across all levels of society — from school children to industry leaders.