Introducing the Wellington Region Waste Management and Minimisation Plan 2023-2029 (WMMP): a mission to transition our city and the Wellington region to a circular economy over the next six years and beyond.
At its meeting on 12 December 2023, Hutt City Council unanimously agreed to adopt the Wellington Region Waste Management and Minimisation Plan 2023-2029 (WMMP). This plan creates a pathway for everyone in the region to work together to care for our resources – for less waste and a greater place.
Hutt City Council is joining with the rest of Wellington region’s councils to develop this plan, which is reviewed every six years as a legal requirement under the Waste Minimisation Act 2008.
“This plan signals an important shift in focus from disposal to retaining the value of resources in a circular economy. By improving resource recovery, we can reduce demand for the planet’s raw materials and extend the life of our landfills for disposal as a last resort.”
Councillor Andy Mitchell, active conservationist and Forest and Bird Lower Hutt branch Chair
Some region-wide goals include:
- Ensuring the availability of construction and demolition waste processing and recovery by 2026
- Providing organic processing systems by 2029
- Adding five new resource recovery locations to the existing network by 2030
Consultation on the WMMP took place in August and September 2023. There were close to 200 written and oral submissions from individuals, businesses and other organisations from Lower Hutt and across the region.
Hutt City Council’s local action plan (page 41 of the document) includes actions designed to help the city shift from just managing waste to focusing on reducing, reusing, and recycling.
These include:
- Assist local businesses with waste minimisation practices by offering free waste audits, presentations and supporting solutions
- Support development of regional resource recovery networks to minimise waste and move to a circular economy. This could include, but is not limited to, options for organic waste, construction and demolition waste, biosolids, materials recovery facilities, and a region wide resource recovery network
- Advocate for better waste solutions to central government and other national bodies of influence
“The plan is only the first step: now, the focus turns to implementing the various initiatives that result in greater resource recovery and progression towards a circular economy.”
Alison Geddes, Hutt City Council’s Director Environment & Sustainability
The targets in the WMMP align with the Government’s waste management and minimisation expectations as outlined in the Te rautaki para (The New Zealand Waste Strategy).
To read the full WMMP, including Lower Hutt's local action plan, click here.