Why are Wellingtonians getting worse at recycling?

Wellington residents are recycling less and sending more to landfill.

Recycling rates have decreased over the past five years, the Wellington City Council’s draft annual report says.

Councillor Iona Pannett said people were finding recycling complicated, and there needed to be better education.

‘‘People are getting wiser about recycling. In saying that, understanding it can be a horribly confusing thing.’’

Pannett wanted improved labelling on plastic packaging to help people recycle.

Market changes meant recycling advice was often changing. People were growing more sceptical about what items could be recycled, which could have lowered the overall recycling.

The report noted a significant increase in substances like asbestos and other hazardous materials sent to landfill.

‘‘This waste is the result of the significant construction and demolition work that has been going on around Wellington.’’

Pannett said there needed to be council investment in a ‘‘resource park’’ – a plant that could salvage construction waste for better use.

Dumping construction waste was easy and inexpensive, which was why the council was advocating for an increased Waste Disposal Levy to encourage people to seek other options.

If the levy applied to all landfills, not just the class one landfills, it would encourage people to seek recycling options to save money, she said.

Waste Management Institute New Zealand chief executive Paul Evans said better construction and demolition recycling relied on investment in recycling infrastructure.

An increased levy could encourage people to recycle materials, as it would cost them more to take it to landfills.

Auckland University of Technology senior lecturer Dr Jeff Seadon said New Zealand was a long way from diverting more construction waste from landfills.

Councils could improve recycling schemes, but many would not have the money.

‘‘The average house build is 3 to 4 cubic metre skips, and that’s just for a house build,’’ he said.

A Ministry for the Environment spokeswoman said just 11 per cent of New Zealand’s more than 400 landfills were subject to the Waste Disposal Levy, which required them to submit waste quantity information to the Ministry. This meant the ministry did not know how much construction waste arrived at landfills.