100 signatures reached
To: Minister for the Environment, Minister for Food Safety
Lets get more refill systems in supermarkets throughout Aotearoa
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We want the New Zealand Government to make it easier for people and supermarkets to refill bottles and containers instead of throwing them away by:
- Change the Waste Management Act so supermarkets and producers are encouraged and supported to offer refill options — for drinks, pantry staples, cleaning products, and more, and;
- Updating food safety rules, including the Food Act so it’s legal to bring our own bottles and containers to stores — or so supermarkets can supply their own, cleaning them when they are returned.
Why is this important?
We need to ensure that our world is sustainable for future generations. We want to see refillable systems in every supermarket — they are a necessary step to revitalise ecosystems, reduce plastic pollution, and protect our health and planet.
Once upon a time, we shopped without single-use plastic. Milk came in glass bottles. Groceries were weighed and packed in paper or reusable bags. But somewhere along the way, we traded that in for convenience — and now, our planet and future generations are paying the price. Plastic pollution breaks down into microplastics that are now found in our oceans, drinking water, and even human blood. It harms wildlife, threatens biodiversity, and contributes to global warming through emissions from plastic production and waste. (UNEP, 2023)
Other countries have shown that a better way is possible. In Germany, the Pfand bottle deposit system has drastically reduced beverage container litter and increased recycling rates to over 98%. Before it was introduced, plastic bottle waste was piling up in landfills and nature. Now, reusable glass and plastic bottles can be returned, cleaned, and refilled — cutting down plastic production and pollution. (European Commission, 2021)
So why not New Zealand?
With support from government and supermarkets, and help from businesses like Chia Sisters — who are already looking for low-waste solutions — we can bring refillable systems back. This isn’t just about packaging. It’s about healing our planet, protecting our biodiversity, and giving future generations a cleaner, fairer world.
This petition is calling for real, practical action — not more greenwashing.
Sign now to help New Zealand take action on refillable, low-waste systems.
Who Are We?
We’re a group of youth from Earthminds (https://earthminds.org/) who care about waste, the planet, and our future. We’ve seen the damage plastic is doing — and we know refill systems are part of the solution. Here's an introductory clip that explains our programme.