Wellington City Council Waste Bylaws for Events
Legislation can be tricky to keep up to date with, or even to understand. If you’re an event organiser, or just invested in the wellbeing of our environment, we are providing a quick overview of the new bylaw coming into action in Wellington, and how to get you ahead of the game! For the Wellington - Te Whanganui-a-tara region*, this waste bylaw will come into force in January 2022, so you have a couple of months to get familiar with it, and to start planning!
Let's start at the beginning.
* Please note, many regions around Wellington - Te Whanganui-a-tara have very similar plans, check out the below links for information on similar bylaws in other local regions.
Hutt City , Porirua , Wairarapa, Kāpiti Coast, Manawatu , Palmerston North , South Taranaki, Horowhenua
What is the bylaw?
The event waste management and minimisation plan provisions are laid out in the Wellington City Council Solid Waste Management and Minimisation Bylaw 2020 (linked here). Overall, this bylaw sets out to better understand, reduce, deal with and plan for the waste we create. Events significantly increase the amount of waste we produce, so it’s exciting to see that we are being encouraged to think about how we can minimise it for the benefit of the environment. There is a lot to consider, so we will explain what the event specific requirements are that are set out in the new bylaw.
What does the bylaw mean for events?
If you are putting on an event that meets the criteria of ‘significant’ (1,000 or more people outdoors, 5,000 or more people indoors, over the course of the event) then you will need to have a comprehensive understanding of:
The kinds of waste your event will be producing (like how much will go to landfill, how much is recyclable, and how much is compostable)
How you are going to minimise this waste (like implementing reusable service ware, using compostable packaging, having onsite education, or sorting waste)
How you will track and report the actual amounts of waste that come from your event.
The council will require a submission that covers all of this and more, at least a month before your event takes place.
Even if your event doesn’t require the plan, many events around Wellington choose to follow through and consider these things, or hire services for expertise on waste minimisation and reporting. We recommend everyone thinks about the resources that are deemed ‘waste’ and how to minimise it at your event, or in your daily life.
There are loads of incredible options out there to support your journey towards producing less waste. We’ve outlined some below, but if you would like specific information or consultancy, please get in touch at hello@nonstopsolutions.co.nz.
Where can I find resources to prepare?
We recommend staying up to date on the Wellington City Council website and social accounts, as well as us here at Nonstop Solutions as we continue to share relevant information.
Here are some great resources which already exist on the bylaw;
The bylaw and controls in relation to the bylaw are a great place to start.
We also have a blog post on what this bylaw will require of you.
The Sustainability Trust also has a great post about why the bylaw is so important
More direct information about the bylaw from council members
If you’d like to know more about how to implement great changes at your event, check out these links!
Or give us an email at events@nonstopsolutions.co.nz to hire our comprehensive services!
