Deadline nears for farm plastic waste submissions

Rural New Zealanders have until 1 June to have their say on the future of farm plastic waste management.

The Government has two options on the table for consultation – regulation, or continuation of voluntary schemes.

Included in its definition of farm plastic waste are plastic bale wrap; silage sheet; small plastic bags like those used for seed, feed, and supplements; bulk woven polypropylene bags used for inputs such as fertiliser, minerals and feed; and ag chemicals sold in plastic containers and drums of 1000 litres or less.

Regulation would bring existing Agrecovery and Plasback programmes into a single national recycling system for all users of regulated farm plastics, says Environment Minister Penny Simmonds.

It would prohibit sale of ag chemicals in specified container types and certain farm plastics, except in accordance with the new accredited scheme.

All producers and importers placing in-scope products on the New Zealand market would be required to pay a stewardship fee to cover end-of-life management of the products.

The proposed fees are typically around one per cent or less of the full product price, according to the Ministry for the Environment.

It says proposed regulations aim to address shortcomings of the current voluntary schemes by establishing a level playing field, in which all producers and importers of priority products share responsibility (and costs) for managing in-scope products at end of their life.

Regulations would also offer farmers and other consumers across the country a free-to-use and convenient take-back service – reducing the incentive for inappropriate disposal like burying or burning, and diverting waste away from landfill.

And a regulated national recycling scheme would enable Government enforcement.

“Key industry stakeholders back the scheme. Rural communities want a simple, effective system, and we welcome feedback to refine the proposed regulations,” Simmonds says.

Agrecovery board chair and farmer, Anders Crofoot, says it’s encouraging to see progress toward a system that works for the people on the ground.

“It’s great to see us moving closer to a regulated scheme that’s simple, free, and accessible for farmers to use,” he says.

“We know the demand is there — this is about making sure every farmer has access to a service that makes doing the right thing the easy thing.”

If regulation does not go ahead, producers’ and importers’ participation in existing stewardship schemes would remain voluntary and is unlikely to increase beyond current levels, the Ministry for the Environment says.

“Without the fee revenues from increased producer participation and the efficiencies of scale from a national scheme, take-back and recycling services are unlikely to expand significantly.

“If regulations are not made, the new scheme could either start operating on a voluntary basis, or not proceed.

“The latter outcome is more likely, as it was co-designed by industry as a regulated scheme, in line with the broad intent of the priority product declaration.

“If the new scheme does not proceed, Agrecovery and Plasback may continue their voluntary schemes. However, this is not guaranteed.”

Currently, not all farmers have access to take-back and recycling services for agrichemicals, their containers, and farm plastics.

Regional council rules to control on-farm waste disposal – including bans on burning plastics – vary between regions.

Since 2006, Agrecovery and Plasback have made steady progress in reducing waste, but engagement by producers and farmers has plateaued, and some parts of the country remain poorly served, the Ministry says.

The proposed national scheme, provisionally named Greenfarms, was accredited in October 2023, and is the work of ag sector groups building on the two voluntary schemes.

Greenfarms is not operating yet, pending government decisions on supporting regulation, but is managed by the Agrecovery Foundation