Landfill levy gets public thumbs-up
by Eloise Gibson
New Zealanders would pay more to dump rubbish to take pressure off landfills, shows a new survey.
The Green Party has a bill before Parliament that would put a $25 per tonne levy on waste taken to a landfill.
The aim is to take pressure off landfills by encouraging people to recycle or re-use waste.
A ShapeNZ poll of 1378 people nationwide found 67 per cent of respondents support the levy, 19 per cent oppose it and two per cent don’t know.
The Business Council for Sustainable Development released the results of the survey last month.
The business council supports a levy, but says the levy should start at $10 per tonne, rising to $30 in three years.
It says noise, smell, leachate and greenhouse gas emissions from landfills will become a problem unless something is done.
The business council wants to see levies used to kick-start projects that find new ways to use and profit from waste.
Business council members include the Warehouse Group, Coca-Cola Amatil, BP Oil and Toyota New Zealand.
Public submissions on the landfill bill are still being considered by the select committee.
Green Party MP Nandor Tanczos has said he expects the bill to gain the support of most MPs.
He says New Zealanders dispose of about 3.4 million tonnes a year into landfills, too much for local authorities and communities to cope with sustainably.
Nice story and pic. Great stuff.