New Zealand to phase out difficult-to-recycle plastic containers and packaging by mid-2025

On December 12, 2022, New Zealand’s (NZ) Ministry for the Environment released a summary of difficult-to-recycle plastic containers and packaging that should be phased out by mid-2025. This is the third stage of the overall plan, and the target products are all food and beverage containers and packaging made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and all food and beverage containers and packaging made of polystyrene. The cabinet has already decided to abolish these products, but the wording may be fine-tuned at the stage of drafting the actual rules. The ministry is expected to release more information on the proposed regulations by the end of 2023.