Waste disposal levy review highlights progress in reducing waste

A new review of New Zealand’s waste disposal levy has found a reduction in the amount of waste being sent to landfill and signs of increased resource recovery, recycling and reuse.

The Review of the Effectiveness of the Waste Disposal Levy 2026, published by MCERT in October, assessed how well the levy is contributing to waste minimisation and supporting environmental outcomes.

The review covers the period from July 2022 to June 2025 and fulfils a requirement under the Waste Minimisation Act 2008 to review the levy’s effectiveness every three years.

The review found the net quantity of waste disposed of at municipal Class 1 landfills decreased by 6.7 per cent compared with the previous reporting period (which was from July 2019 to June 2022). This equates to around 700,000 tonnes less waste being disposed of in landfills.

The findings also indicate progress in the amount of material being reused, recycled and recovered, although additional data collection will improve future comparisons and help build a more complete picture of waste minimisation outcomes.