The Wellington Chamber of Commerce has welcomed the Government’s $124 million investment in recycling infrastructure and has called on Wellington to step up as a green capital.

"Waste is becoming a massive issue in New Zealand and impacts our status as a clean, green country," says John Milford, Chief Executive of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce.

"The Chamber hopes today’s investment will help the country scale up its recycling capabilities and help the transition to more of a circular economy when it comes to reducing, reusing, and recycling.

"We’re calling on the Wellington City Council to take advantage of the new funding opportunities and fast-track their plans for a resource recovery centre based in the region.

"The city has ambitions to be a carbon zero capital, but the plan to get there is unclear. Now there are more restrictions on what plastics we can recycle through the Council.

"Wellingtonians want to do the right thing and reduce their waste, but it is all becoming increasingly frustrating. If we want residents to recycle more and cut down the city’s waste, the processes need to be as simple as possible for everyone to follow.

"Given international restrictions on the movement of waste, we need to quickly move to an onshore model where we can manage our own recycling. Going forward it will simply be unacceptable to businesses and residents to continue pouring recyclable and reuseable materials into the tip.

"It is up to the City Council to come up with a solution and we are committed to helping where we cant. Businesses will be on board too, but they need to see a clear vision and a process that is not over-burdensome or that costs too much.

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