Product stewardship regulations for agrichemicals, their containers, and farm plastics
The Government is seeking feedback on proposed regulations to enable a national take-back and recycling scheme for agrichemicals, their containers, and farm plastics.
What is the problem?
Currently, not all farmers have access to take-back and recycling services for agrichemicals, their containers, and farm plastics. This contributes to ongoing but avoidable practices, such as on-farm burning, burial or indefinite storage in some rural areas. This in turn risks harming the environment and our health, and losing recyclable materials. Regional council rules to control on-farm waste disposal – including bans on burning plastics – vary between regions.
The proposal
Building on the two voluntary schemes, agricultural sector groups have worked together to design a single consolidated national scheme that simplifies and increases access to take-back services for farmers and other consumers. This national scheme – provisionally named Green-farms – was accredited in October 2023. This scheme is not operating yet, pending government decisions on supporting regulations. The product stewardship organisation (PSO) managing the scheme is the Agrecovery Foundation, a not-for-profit charitable trust governed by representatives of the primary production sector. We are consulting on two options:
- Option 1: Introduce WMA regulations. These will support the accredited scheme for the inscope products.
- Option 2: No action (maintain the voluntary approach). No regulations would be made. The current schemes may continue with voluntary stewardship of agrichemical containers and other farm plastics including bale wrap, but this cannot be assured.
Visit https://consult.environment.govt.nz/waste/agrichemicals-their-containers-and-farm-plastics/ to read the full consultation document and make your submission.
Text: Ministry for the Environment
