Next
asd
.
qwe
ZWA is committed to upholding Te Tiriti o Waitangi and He Whakaputanga o te Rangatiratanga o Nu Tireni. We believe that supporting Indigenous self-determination and kaitiakitanga are essential to addressing the root causes of the waste and climate crises and to building a truly just and regenerative zero-waste future. We understand that the waste and […]
Indigenous Solutions
October 6, 2026
The health of our soil is inextricably linked to the health of our people. Whakahaumanu a Hineahuone is a national project supporting community-scale composting initiatives across Aotearoa to restore mauri-rich soil and strengthen local food systems.
Incinerator-free NZ
Zero Waste Aotearoa is calling on the New Zealand government to explicitly reject the export of New Zealand’s waste to Fiji. A massive incinerator has been proposed for Fiji by Australian company TNG ltd.
Container Return Scheme
Economic analysis shows the cost-of-living fears, cited in 2023 as the reason to delay a long-planned Container Return Scheme, were unfounded. If the previous Government had pressed ahead with the planned scheme three years ago it would have been up and running by now.
A coalition of 84 companies, councils and not-for-profit organisations wrote to the New Zealand Government, asking them to modernise how the nation handles waste and litter by setting up a Container Return Scheme.
Discarded drink containers make up a quarter of all the litter that’s polluting our rivers, roadsides, parks and beaches across Aotearoa (25% by volume).1
The country’s first Reverse Vending Machine (RVM) trial has been running since July 2025 at Birkenhead New World. It shows that returning empty drink bottles and cans to retail stores like supermarkets is a practical and popular option. It also highlights just how much schools and other causes could gain from using this money-back recycling scheme to fundraise.
Many New Zealanders fondly remember returning empty drink bottles for cash in the 1970s and 80s. Three bottle drives, run in different parts of the country, offer a glimpse of how easily Aotearoa could bring that system back.
System Change
The circular economy has been on and off the political radar in New Zealand the last few years. But around the world the idea of shifting from a throwaway economy towards a more resourceful one is gaining traction.
Food systems
