Dunedin City Council’s Waste Futures Green Island Landfill Closure and Resource Recovery Park has been named the Resource Management Law Association’s 2026 Project of the Year, recognising the organisation’s long-term approach to managing waste, protecting the environment, and planning for the future.
The award was formally presented at the RMLA Awards Gala Dinner on Friday night.
The award acknowledges how Council has turned the challenge of Green Island Landfill reaching the end of its life into an opportunity to improve the way Ōtepoti Dunedin manages waste. Rather than focusing on a single project, the programme brings together landfill closure planning, a new four-bin kerbside collection system, upgrades to resource recovery facilities, planning for future landfill capacity, and initiatives that help the community reduce waste.
The Council says a key part of the programme’s success has been working closely with Te Rūnanga o Ōtākou through Aukaha, as well as engaging openly with neighbours, stakeholders and the wider community.
The RMLA judges recognised the programme’s big-picture thinking and collaborative approach. By looking beyond regulatory requirements, DCC has used a major infrastructure challenge as a catalyst to improve services, strengthen environmental outcomes, and create lasting benefits for future generations.
The programme aims to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill by 45%, while also cutting biogenic methane emissions from waste by 45% over the coming years.
The judges said Waste Futures Programme demonstrates four key principles:
- Have a clear long-term vision before tackling individual projects.
- Bring together a wide range of expertise early in the process.
- Tell a consistent story about why change is needed.
- Look beyond compliance to achieve broader community and environmental benefits.
The result is a more resilient, sustainable waste system for Dunedin and a model that other councils can learn from, the Council said in a statement.
