An analysis of the implications of circular economy principles on waste generation in the New Zealand construction sector : A dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master at Lincoln University

Abstract

The New Zealand Government and the Ministry for the Environment have recently proposed a new founding set of principles to guide the development of environmental policies, plans and strategies. The new guiding principles have moved away from a focus on sustainable development, to a focus on the circular economy approach. This is an approach that creates a resource-utilised economy, and promotes the close-loop of resource lifespans. As a result of this progression, the Ministry for the Environment is proposing a new waste strategy, and new and more comprehensive legislation on waste, to replace the current national waste strategy and the Waste Minimisation Act (2008). This research took a qualitative approach and aimed to analyse the new waste strategy consultation document Taking Responsibility for our Waste, and its guiding circular economy principles, with a particular focus on how the principles could apply to the construction and demolition (C&D) sector and its waste streams. This analysis looked at the content of the consultation document, and at submissions to the Environment Select Committee’s briefing on construction and demolition waste launched in June 2021, as well as interviewing a range of stakeholders in the C&D industry to assess the challenges involved in applying circular economy principles in this sector. The results identified a range of barriers that are likely to impede application of circular economy principles in the high-waste construction industry, and concludes that the best course of action forward is for collaboration and incentives to industries.