The Ministry for the Environment has been considering the creation of a national database and fund to help protect old landfill sites.
Volunteers clean up trash left behind by a landfill on the Fox River, West Coast, that was exposed to flood waters in 2019.
Photo: RNZ / Katie Todd
Sites are currently being monitored by local or regional councils. However, until recently, climate risk was not measured.
This has led to the public’s exposure of sites such as the 2019 Fox River catastrophe, where rubbish was washed downstream by severe flooding.
The historic Reefton landfill was also washed away earlier this month by heavy rain.
Glenn Wigley (Minister of Environment), director of policy & regulation, stated that more central support was being looked into.
“At this time, there isn’t any specific fund that’s available for vulnerable landfills.
“We do take funding requests into consideration on a case-by case basis. For example, take the Fox River landfill. [the ministry]He stated that he had provided some financial assistance to clean up the rubbish in the waterway.
There was no funding available. It was given after the disaster happened.
Although there is an existing fund for the remediation of contaminated sites before disaster strikes it does not accept applications for older landfills.
Wigley explained that while the ministry is aware that there are challenges for local governments, and that there is a Contaminated Land Remediation Fund for sites, it wasn’t designed to handle the current scale and magnitude of what’s happening.”
However, the ministry is already working closely with local and regional councils in order to create a uniform way to monitor old sites.
“The types of things that [the system]These factors include the size of the landfill and its design, what’s inside, and its location. [and]Its vulnerability to extreme weather events and sea level rise.
Wigley stated that a national adaptation plan would be released in August. This plan will outline the government’s goals for adapting to climate changes.
The Ministry for the Environment is currently considering a variety of options and hopes that it will make decisions by the end next year on a national fund and database.
