NEWS RELEASE
21 March 2017

Regional plan aims to slash trash by a third

People living in the greater Wellington area will soon have an opportunity to comment on a draft regional plan designed to help reduce waste by a third.

The Waste Management and Minimisation Joint Committee of the eight local councils has developed a new draft plan which aims to further reduce waste and increase recycling.

Wellington City Council Councillor and Chairperson of the Waste Management and Minimisation Plan Joint Committee, Iona Pannett, says “councils are legally obliged to promote efficient and effective ways to manage and minimise waste, but everyone needs to do more”.

“It’s time to take action to reduce the amount of waste we produce,” she says. “Before we dispose of waste to landfill, we need to get better at reducing, reusing and recycling our waste. Councils have the opportunity to lead the way on this.”

Upper Hutt City Council’s member of the joint committee, and Chairperson of the Wellington Region Waste Forum, Councillor Angela McLeod, agrees.

“All the councils in the region recognise that we can achieve more by working together.

“The draft plan includes a regional action plan that details how the councils intend to work together to reduce waste and also includes local council action plans which promote waste minimisation and a decrease in waste disposal.

“Our primary regional target is to reduce the amount of waste we send to landfills by a third by 2026,” says Cr McLeod.

“We’re encouraging anyone interested in the future of waste management and minimisation to make a submission on the plan and they can find more information on our website http://www.wgtnregionwasteplan.govt.nz,” adds Cr Pannett.

“Upper Hutt City Council will be the first council to release the draft Wellington Region Waste Management and Minimisation Plan for public consultation – it goes out tomorrow,” says Cr McLeod. Other local councils in the region will be releasing the draft plan for consultation over coming weeks.

ENDS

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