NEWS ARCHIVE

New Zealand pours funds into its domestic recycling sector to boost post-COVID-19 economic recovery

Friday, 5 February 2021

New Zealand invests in growing its domestic recycling industry to create jobs and send less rubbish to landfills

Even though New Zealanders recycle over 1.3 million tonnes of waste yearly, only 30% of it is processed inside the country, due to lack of proper recycling infrastructure. Exporting recyclable waste is no longer as viable as before, prompting the government to focus its resources internally.

As a result, a total of NZ$ 160.7 were poured into upgrading recycling plants and growing the total capacity for onshore processing, improving the country’s ability to reduce waste, promote recycling, and create new jobs for people in need. This adds to the country’s efforts to stimulate economic recovery post-coronavirus.

While New Zealand was in lockdown, recycling efforts declined due to several reasons. One of these reasons was the inability of recycling facilities that relied on manual sorting to meet demands, meaning only automated facilities could operate at full capacity.

The government’s efforts focus towards automatic sorting facilities, increasing the landfill levy and using the money to fund recycling projects. This could lead to better use of resources and an increment in the number of available jobs.

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