Waste is money: the $1.5 billion rubbish industry

BusinessDesk is investigating the trash industry. (Image: NZME)

Tue, 18 Jul 2023

Rubbish is often seen through the lens of its cost to the environment. But rubbish is also a vast industry, employing thousands of people in NZ and generating more than $1.5 billion in revenue each year. In the 2021 financial year, at least $886m of that revenue went to foreign-owned firms. The industry is set to grow bigger as the government introduces a raft of regulations to divert waste away from landfills, which will create new jobs and revenue streams.The government’s clampdown on waste started slowly, with the Waste Mini...

Subscribe to BusinessDesk

Stay informed on business, government and financial developments across New Zealand.

Deeply researched, twice-edited and fact-checked news
Annual subscribers also receive a complimentary subscription to The Wall Street Journal
Personalised email news alerts, plus gift up to 5 stories a month to non-subscribers

You can cancel anytime with two clicks, an email or a phone call.
Find out more.

We are serious about journalism.

Already a Subscriber ? Sign in here.

Name {{ registerForm.errors.get('name') }}

Email address {{ registerForm.errors.get('email') }}

Phone Number {{ registerForm.errors.get('phone') }}

Job Title {{ registerForm.errors.get('title') }}

Password Minimum password length of 8 characters.
Require at least one upper and lowercase, numeric, and special character. {{ registerForm.errors.get('password') }}

Repeat password {{ registerForm.errors.get('password_confirmation') }}

We had trouble validating your card. It's possible your card provider is preventing us from charging the card. Please contact your card provider or customer support.

Credit Card

Cardholder's name

{{ __(plans[index].name) | capitalize }} {{ plans[index].attributes.old_price | currency }} {{ plans[index].price | currency }}

All subscriptions auto renew but are easy to cancel.

I Accept The Terms Of Service

{{ registerForm.errors.get('terms') }}

Tax: {{ taxAmount(selectedPlan) | currency }}

Total Price Including Tax: {{ priceWithTax(selectedPlan) | currency }} {{ selectedPlan.type == 'user' && spark.chargesUsersPerSeat ? '/ '+ spark.seatName : '' }} {{ selectedPlan.type == 'user' && spark.chargesUsersPerTeam ? '/ '+ __('teams.team') : '' }} / {{ __(selectedPlan.interval) | capitalize }}

Markets Market Close

NZ sharemarket dips despite strong US, Australian gains

The S&P/NZX 50 Index closed down 25 points or 0.19%.

Jamie Gray 6:14pm

Technology

Substack prances to 'unicorn' status

Substack raise sees it valued at more than US$1 billion.

Staff reporters 4:29pm

The Quiz Free

QuiznessDesk, Friday, July 18

Can you get them all correct without cheating?

The Quizmaster 9:15am

Sponsored

Global real estate without the passport or paperwork

A global ETF offers access to income-generating real estate like data centres, healthcare and logistics warehouses – all in New Zealand dollars.

Blackrock, Smart Invest

Sponsored

‘Make Today the Day’: Why on-the-job training is the key to NZ’s service recovery

Covid gutted New Zealand’s service workforce. Training is the fix – and the future.

ServiceIQ

More Services

Services

Food Chain report shows $9m owing

More than $9.1m is owing in the liquidation of food supplier Food Chain, the first report in the insolvency shows. The company, which has ceased trading, had approximately 60 staff, and is also in receivership. The first liquidators' report of Adam Botterill and Damien Grant...

Staff reporters 11 Jul 2025