Submitter Details
3. What is your organisation (if any)?
Organisation
McConnell Dowell
Reducing the impact of plastic
4. Do you support the Government taking some more action to remove hard-to-recycle plastic and single-use items from use (in principle)?
Please select one item
Radio button:
Ticked
Yes
Radio button:
Unticked
No
Proposal One: phase out hard-to-recycle plastics
5. Do you support the proposed mandatory phase out of PVC and polystyrene plastic packaging and all oxo-degradable plastic items?
Please select one item
Radio button:
Ticked
Yes
Radio button:
Unticked
Yes, in part
Radio button:
Unticked
No
6. Do you support the proposed timeframes for phasing out hard-to-recycle plastic packaging (timeframes are below)?
| PVC food and beverage packaging (2023) Yes Radio button: Not checked Yes | PVC food and beverage packaging (2023) No, make it sooner Radio button: Checked No, make it sooner | PVC food and beverage packaging (2023) No, make it later Radio button: Not checked No, make it later | PVC food and beverage packaging (2023) Not at all Radio button: Not checked Not at all |
| Oxo-degradable items (2023) Yes Radio button: Not checked Yes | Oxo-degradable items (2023) No, make it sooner Radio button: Checked No, make it sooner | Oxo-degradable items (2023) No, make it later Radio button: Not checked No, make it later | Oxo-degradable items (2023) Not at all Radio button: Not checked Not at all |
| Easier to phase out polystyrene food and beverage packaging (2023) Yes Radio button: Not checked Yes | Easier to phase out polystyrene food and beverage packaging (2023) No, make it sooner Radio button: Checked No, make it sooner | Easier to phase out polystyrene food and beverage packaging (2023) No, make it later Radio button: Not checked No, make it later | Easier to phase out polystyrene food and beverage packaging (2023) Not at all Radio button: Not checked Not at all |
| All remaining polystyrene food and beverage packaging and all expanded polystyrene packaging (2025) Yes Radio button: Not checked Yes | All remaining polystyrene food and beverage packaging and all expanded polystyrene packaging (2025) No, make it sooner Radio button: Checked No, make it sooner | All remaining polystyrene food and beverage packaging and all expanded polystyrene packaging (2025) No, make it later Radio button: Not checked No, make it later | All remaining polystyrene food and beverage packaging and all expanded polystyrene packaging (2025) Not at all Radio button: Not checked Not at all |
Proposal Two: take action on single-use plastic items
7. Which single-use items do you support for phase-out? Please select any/ all that apply.
Please select all that apply
Checkbox:
Ticked
Produce bags
Checkbox:
Ticked
Tableware (plates, bowls, cutlery)
Checkbox:
Ticked
Non-compostable fruit stickers
Checkbox:
Ticked
Drink stirrers
Checkbox:
Ticked
Single-use cups and lids (excluding coffee cups)
Checkbox:
Ticked
Cotton buds
Checkbox:
Ticked
Straws
Checkbox:
Unticked
None of the above
Are there any other items you would like to be included in the proposed phase outs? Please list them here
Polystyrene in general . This is heavily used in packaging and increasingly used in the building industry for insulation or non structural fill .
In both cases is either in small particles or easily mechanically breaks down into small particles during handling .
These small particles are easily transported by wind or rain into water ways and provide a hazard to all life eg they look like small fish eggs which could be consumed .
I have personally seen a lot of these particles blowing off construction site in Auckland into street stormwater systems .
These products , once used are not recyclable . They have no future use other than waste .
In summary polystyrene is increasingly being used across multiple industries , has highly potential to release into the environment in small sized particles and cannont be practically resized or recycled once used .
It’s a high risk to environmental contamination .
In both cases is either in small particles or easily mechanically breaks down into small particles during handling .
These small particles are easily transported by wind or rain into water ways and provide a hazard to all life eg they look like small fish eggs which could be consumed .
I have personally seen a lot of these particles blowing off construction site in Auckland into street stormwater systems .
These products , once used are not recyclable . They have no future use other than waste .
In summary polystyrene is increasingly being used across multiple industries , has highly potential to release into the environment in small sized particles and cannont be practically resized or recycled once used .
It’s a high risk to environmental contamination .
8. Do you have any other comments or concerns? Are there any items you would not like to be banned?
Please add any comments here
Legislative and policy measures should be in place to stop the creation of single use products . Plastics are so versatile that anything can be made from them . You ban one product another product pops up .
The first step is to reduce the markets ability to create these single use plastics products rather than banning ones after they have become a problem .
The second step is to increase consumer awareness about single use products . Make us understand the value of only buying products that cannot at least be easily recycled .
For example building wrap in PVC used in the construction industry . 10 years ago this wasn’t used now is common place around build sites and appears to be increasingly used . It’s used once to cover entire buildings (residential and commercial ) and then once used sent to landfill .
It’s likely that once the scale and impact of this product is realised there will be calls to ban this also . But this is reactive management ie waiting until there is a problem product .
The first step is to reduce the markets ability to create these single use plastics products rather than banning ones after they have become a problem .
The second step is to increase consumer awareness about single use products . Make us understand the value of only buying products that cannot at least be easily recycled .
For example building wrap in PVC used in the construction industry . 10 years ago this wasn’t used now is common place around build sites and appears to be increasingly used . It’s used once to cover entire buildings (residential and commercial ) and then once used sent to landfill .
It’s likely that once the scale and impact of this product is realised there will be calls to ban this also . But this is reactive management ie waiting until there is a problem product .