Collaboration Key in Reducing Tyre Waste

4 27, 2016

We all know that waste has a huge effect on our environment and keeping New Zealand clean and beautiful is one thing that most kiwis are pretty passionate about. Although to achieve this, it is key that as New Zealanders we all work together towards better management of our waste. It was awesome to see local dive groups get together in November to spend a day cleaning up Wellington harbour. The event was organised by New Zealand based charity ‘Sustainable Coastlines’ who coordinate and support large-scale coastal clean-up events.

Although events like this are great and are fundamental in the battle against keeping New Zealand clean and green, it also needs support and passion from many other facets. It is essential that not just the community gets behind waste initiatives but policy makers, industry leaders and organisations also all work together to bring about positive change.

During the recent clean-up of Wellington harbour, I was shocked to hear how many tyres were pulled out of the water with apparently many more lurking just below the surface. New Zealand, has an astonishing 4 million end-of-life tyres needing to be disposed of each year.

In 2008, the New Zealand Government introduced its Waste Minimisation Fund which is funded by a levy collected on waste disposal at landfills. For this change in legislation to be successfully implemented and managed it needed a super smart solution that would ensure that the levy could be easily collected and allocated. FINNZ was able to create an online solution that provided the tools, processes and operational framework necessary for the successful delivery of this Waste Levy Collection.

In October, the Environment Minister Dr Nick Smith announced that the current Waste Minimisation Fund was going to open for bids from businesses that have a practical use for tyres that go to waste.

Collaboration has been and will need to continue being one of the most important factors in our ability as a nation to reduce our effect on the environment. In the case of minimising the effect of end-of-life tyres on New Zealand, several parties need to come together to achieve this:

• The Ministry for the Environment needs to set the policies for the waste levy framework and operations to collect the funding for waste minimisation and responsible waste disposal initiatives.
• Product stewardship polices to encourage those involved in the production and sale of tyres play their part in ensuring end-of-life tyres go to an environmentally sound use.
• Local businesses with the appropriate technology and skills are needed to create a practical use for tyres that go to waste.
• Community members and charity organisations, such as the Sustainable Coastlines Trust, will always be needed to help clean up the end-of-life tyres that may still make their way to our rivers and beaches.

All of these groups have and will continue to play an important role in tackling this environmental issue and this is a great demonstration of how by several different bodies coming together with a common goal in mind, positive change can be achieved.

To find out more about the online waste levy FINNZ developed for the Ministry of The Environment, read the case study (here). FINNZ also went on to implement a similar waste management data solution for the (Queensland Government) and they have also recently been involved in employing a new waste levy solution for NSW Government.

Learn more about the work FINNZ is doing in waste management here.

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Posted on November 29, 2015