SG 12/23
New Zealand’s Ministry for the Environment has made available a website to assist stakeholders with complying with the nation’s ban on certain plastic products. The portal also indicates plans to prohibit other PVC and polystyrene food and drink packaging from mid-2025.
In March 2022, New Zealand issued the Waste Minimization (Plastic and Related Products) Regulations 2022 to prohibit six categories of plastic products. This prohibition became effective in October 2022 (SafeGuardS 100.22).
In November 2022, New Zealand issued its Waste Minimization (plastic and Related Products) Amendment Regulations 2022 to expand the scope of prohibited products and to create a list of products that can only be sold under specified exceptions. This amendment will become effective on July 1, 2023.
To assist stakeholders with the two aforementioned pieces of legislation, the New Zealand Ministry for the Environment has made available a website detailing the phasing out of hard-to-recycle and single-use plastics.
According to the website, New Zealand is also planning to phase out all other PVC and polystyrene food and drink packaging from mid-2025. The authorities will provide more information on these proposed regulations from late-2023.
Highlights of the Waste Minimization (Plastic and Related Products) Regulations 2022 and its November 2022 amendment are summarized in Table 1.
| Legislation | Scope of Prohibition | Effective Date |
|---|---|---|
| Waste Minimization (Plastic and Related Products) Regulations 2022 (2022/69) |
| October 1, 2022 |
| Waste Minimization (Plastic and Related Products) Amendment Regulations 2022 (2022/312) |
| July 1, 2023 |
*Until July 1, 2025:
- Plastic produce labels may be sold if they are used, or intended for use, on imported fruit and vegetables, and
- A plastic produce label is considered home compostable if all of the plastic produce label except its adhesive is home compostable
Table 1
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