Napier City and Hastings District councils are set to unveil their latest plan for tackling and reducing waste while future proofing the region, and it’s impressive.

Dealing with the waste our communities produce is a core service funded by the rates we pay, so it’s important residents understand and support the goals and activities designed to reduce the need for waste disposal.

At the heart of the Te Mahere Whakahaere me te Whakaiti Para Joint Waste Management and Minimisation Plan 2025-2031 is a progressive, forward-thinking approach to reducing our waste. 

The plan sets out an ambitious roadmap for reducing by 10% how much waste goes into the system, and by 30% the amount of waste which needs to be disposed of. It also aims to decrease emissions from waste by 30%, down to 22.1 tonnes.

The waste councils collect that can’t be recycled ends up at Ōmarunui Landfill. Overseen by a committee made up of representatives of the two councils and mana whenua Ngāti Pārau, it’s a significant regional asset.

Reducing how much waste is sent to it will extend its lifespan. Landfills have a significant cost to ratepayers – not to mention the environmental cost – so it’s in everyone’s interest to use them as little as possible so they last longer.

Circular economy thinking

The plan puts the circular economy at its core, with no less than 32 mentions and an explainer page.

Circular economy thinking is a break from the current unsustainable linear economy of extracting resources, making things, and then disposing of them. It’s widely acknowledged as the best way to reduce waste and emissions while being environmentally and economically sustainable.

The plan acknowledges the impact of consumerism and a linear economy, which emphasise resource use and then disposal, while encouraging the move to a circular approach which instead emphasises regeneration. 

In a circular economy resources are kept in use for as long as possible, so their maximum value can be extracted before being fed back into the system. The result is far less waste and emissions from far more efficient resource use. 

Opportunity for commercial waste

The plan has a focus on tackling commercial, and compostable waste. Not surprisingly, these two are big waste streams in Hawke’s Bay, when you consider the size of primary industry and how much food manufacturing there is in the region.

Data for the Ōmarunui Landfill, which accepts most of its waste from commercial and industrial activities, shows that 25% is potentially compostable organic material, and 14% is potentially recyclable (paper, plastic, metal, glass). Combined, this is a huge amount of waste which could not only be kept out of landfill, but have ongoing value.

There’s no shortage of demand for compost on the Heretaunga plains and Hawk Packaging is a paper recycler located in the Hastings district.

There’s also building waste to consider. Some 11% of waste to Ōmarunui Landfill is classed as ‘rubble’ – building waste, which could potentially find another use. The plan aims to work with the construction and demolition sector to find more opportunities to divert waste to other uses.

Some of this work is already underway. There is a building material recycling area at the Henderson Road Transfer Station in Hastings, which opened in November last year. 

Flat (window) glass recycling is also now in place at Redclyffe Transfer Station.

Consultation & partnerships

We at 3R Group know well that collaboration is vital to making waste reduction, and sustainability in general, successful. 

It’s commendable then that the Hastings and Napier councils have put so much emphasis on engaging with the wider community, including mana whenua and te ao Māori. As the plan notes, traditional Māori thinking and practices emphasise living in synchronicity with the natural world, which means a mindset of sustainability and regeneration are an intrinsic part of existing as Māori.

Viewing waste reduction through the lens of the Māori worldview highlights just how negatively landfills impact on Papatūānuku, the earth we all live on. 

Kerbside waste and recycling

This is the way most of us interact with the waste and resource recovery system – a system which here in HB has been using industry best practice for some time already.

In early 2024 central government standardised kerbside recycling around the country. Napier and Hastings were already using the system of collecting recycling separately, as well as a 120 litre wheelie bin system for general waste.

What is being put in the wheelie bins is an area of concern and a way everyone can help do their part. Data shows just 42% of what goes into general waste wheelie bins is actually waste – the rest is compostable, like food scraps and green waste (42%), and recyclable (12%).

The plan aims to identify opportunities for reducing this waste, but residents simply sorting their recycling well and avoiding putting food and green waste in the general waste bin would go a long way.

Household food scraps are a small part of the organics making their way to landfill, and the plan has no initiative for food scrap collection. But a home compost bin or worm farm is something many households could easily set up to cut down on the waste they put at the kerb each week.

Data

I might be talking about data last, but it’s definitely not the least important. Data is in fact crucial to effecting change, and I commend the councils on the information they have been able to collate around what is ending up in landfill.

The plan acknowledges a challenge in a lack of local data for proving the effectiveness of waste recovery work. Here is where collaboration across sectors and organisations is vital.

Identifying and addressing gaps in data is a focus of the plan, but it’s resource heavy and complex and there isn’t a quick fix.

Overall, this is a well-thought-out plan which, if properly implemented, can have a long-lasting and positive impact on the region. I encourage you to play your part as a consumer.

Top tips to reduce waste in your kerbside bin:

1. Compost your food scraps

2. Take a few minutes to sort your recycling so they don’t end up in the bin

3. Keep green waste (i.e. lawn clippings etc) out of your general waste bin

4. Check if packaging is recyclable before you buy a product

5. Recycle soft plastic (i.e. chip packets, bread bags etc) through the Soft Plastic Recycling Scheme

6. Consider repairing things before you throw them out – you can visit a Repair Café in Hastings or Napier

7. Donate reusable items to local op-shops.

Dominic works at 3R, which designs, implements and manages product stewardship schemes for individual businesses or industry-wide groups. They also help businesses take a fresh look at their waste to first minimise and then recover what would otherwise be wasted.