The Solid Waste Management Plan is the first review of the plan originally approved and implemented by councils in 2001, and replaces that plan. It provides for the waste management needs of the Wairarapa community, now and in the future. The Wairarapa community produces over 31,000 tonnes of solid waste each year including greenwaste and recyclables; enough waste to cover a rugby field to the height of a six storey building. It is important to manage our solid waste carefully to ensure the waste we produce does not adversely affect our health, community or environment.

The philosophy behind WMW is that the region’s councils are better able to address some waste management issues collectively than they could individually. However, WMW recognises there are some aspects of solid waste management that need to be tailored to individual communities’ needs and are therefore best addressed at an individual Council level.

The Solid Waste Management Plan sets out the solid waste management goals of the Wairarapa community and includes actions to achieve the goals, set out under the following headings:

The Plan also discusses the principles of zero waste management. Zero waste management uses the waste hierarchy of reduction, reuse, recycling, recovery and residual management with the long term view of reducing the residual waste component of the waste stream to zero.

This Plan meets the requirements of the Local Government Act 2002. It addresses only solid waste (refuse) and will be reviewed as necessary and at least every ten years.

WMW is committed to this Solid Waste Management Plan. We believe it provides the best framework to achieve the objective of providing for the waste management needs of the Wairarapa community in a sustainable manner, ensuring waste management practices that do not adversely affect the natural environment, human health, animal and plant health, amenity values or cultural values.