“This coalition government has made no progress on addressing the plastic pollution crisis. The Plastics Action Plan targeting problematic plastics has stalled. The tools that would have made a difference are all still sitting on the shelf. We are calling on all political parties to make reducing plastic pollution a priority,” says Sue Coutts from Zero Waste Aotearoa.

“Kantar’s 2026 Better Futures report showed that most New Zealanders expect business to take responsibility for the impacts of the packaging and products they put onto the market and they do not think business or government are doing enough. Voluntary schemes to collect soft plastics and caps and lids collect a small proportion of what goes onto the market, less than 10%.”

“More and more plastic is being imported into Aotearoa, with no viable plan for reusing or recycling it.” says Sue Coutts from Zero Waste Aotearoa. “Harm is caused upstream, with ecosystem damage and health risks to communities near plastic production facilities. And downstream, as plastic is littered, burned, sheds microplastics and leaches harmful chemical additives. ”

“Around 1.5 million tonnes of plastic are imported into Aotearoa NZ every year. About 400,000 tonnes of that is packaging. Less than 20%, only 68,000 tonnes of this gets recycled. The rest gets landfilled,  littered, or burned. All three cause negative health, environmental and social impacts. ”

““Time and time again, New Zealanders say that plastic pollution is a major concern. Individuals, communities and small businesses can’t stop this flood of hard to recycle and problematic plastic on their own.”

“Government needs to upgrade the Waste Minimisation Act so New Zealand can implement the product stewardship scheme for plastic packaging and get the drink container return scheme up and running.”

“Business has to take responsibility for covering the real cost of these systems and adapt their business models and packaging designs so they are not putting hard to recycle plastics on the market in the first place.” 

“High quality recycling helps but won’t solve our plastic pollution crisis. Phasing out the most problematic plastic products and polymers is essential for minimising the harms caused by plastic pollution. Phase outs make room for better alternatives, like reusables, to become mainstream.” 

Plastic Free July puts the issue of plastic pollution squarely in front of all of the political parties. We challenge every party to get serious about implementing the practical solutions that will reduce unnecessary and single use plastic, make it viable to collect high value plastics for reuse and recycling and make it easier for everyone to live plastic pollution free lives.