In July 2021, Taranaki’s three district councils (South Taranaki, Stratford and New Plymouth) decided to investigate the possibility of building and operating a regional Organic Materials Recovery Facility to divert potentially thousands of tonnes of waste from going to landfill from across the region.
One of the key targets in our Waste Management and Minimisation Plans, as well as our emissions reduction targets, is reducing the amount of waste going to landfill, with a specific focus on organic waste (i.e., food waste, green waste) which can comprise up to 60% of the amount of domestic waste currently being unnecessarily thrown out and sent to landfill.
This nutrient-dense organic waste could be used for so much good, namely by recycling it to create fertilisers and compost, or even the creation of low-emissions renewable biofuels through anaerobic digestion processes.
Central Government is also introducing some initiatives over the next couple of years that mean a local facility that can process this type of waste safely and sustainably, with minimal emissions from the processing and transportation phases, will be needed by Taranaki’s three councils if we are to continue to provide an effective kerbside collection service for our residents.
From the beginning of this project, iwi and hapū have been key partners in exploring and considering how best to manage the recovery of organic materials across the region. A number of critical bottom lines from a te ao Māori viewpoint were developed from this engagement process, and these have been integrated into the assessment criteria used to develop options within the final feasibility report, and recommend next steps for further development of this project.
We have also engaged with industry stakeholders across the region who are producing significant quantities of organic materials that require management, and we will continue to partner with them on the next steps.
