The people of Darfield shouldn't have to suffer Christchurch's rubbish dumped on their doorstep because of successive governments' inaction on waste reduction, says the Green Party.

Green co-leader Rod Donald is today attending a picnic organised by the Dump the Dump committee at the site of the proposed Darfield superdump. Local MP Jenny Shipley is also expected to attend.

"The only way we will stop superdumps, such as the ones proposed for Darfield and on the banks of the Waikato River, is for the government to adopt a nationwide 'zero waste' strategy," Mr Donald said.

The Greens are calling on all parties to work together to tackle the growing waste problem.

"I'm even happy to work with local Rakaia MP Jenny Shipley on this issue providing she embraces zero waste rather than proposes simply shifting the dump onto someone else's doorstep," Mr Donald said.

"The Malvern hills are as precious to the people of Darfield as Hagley Park is to Christchurch residents and no-one in their right mind would dump the city's rubbish in the middle of the park.

"We hope the new government will provide strong leadership to achieve zero waste and work in partnership with local government, business and the community.

"At the end of the day, success will only come from a change in behaviour and attitude towards resources and the environment, in addition to appropriate Government incentives and penalties."

The Greens support: a shift of taxation away from incomes and onto waste and pollution, promoting venture capital for new Cleaner Production technologies, implementing true cost accounting, encouraging a cradle-to-grave life cycle production model, and making manufacturers and packagers responsible for the costs of the final disposal of their products, said Mr Donald. "A 'zero waste' strategy has the added benefit of removing the uncertainty and anxiety from the lives of those people living near the proposed rubbish dumps," he said.

Rod Donald: 025 507 183

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