Waste assessments are a legal requirement of the Waste Minimisation Act (2008).  Waste Management and Minimisation Plans (WMMPs) must be reviewed at least every six years, and accordingly, a waste assessment is undertaken prior to each review. Nelson City and Tasman District councils prepare a Joint WMMP (JWMMP). The waste assessment identifies future demands as well as options for addressing those demands. The assessment forms the basis of JWMMP.

The JWMMP is the Tasman and Nelson councils’ blueprint for achieving waste reduction across the region. The most recent JWMMP was adopted September 2019, and includes an aspirational target of reducing waste to landfill by 10% per person by 2030. The JWMMP includes a detailed table of policies and methods to address key issues that were identified in the waste assessment. The plan provides common goals, objectives and policies across the region, to reduce waste and increase recycling. There is also flexibility for each council to choose different methods to achieve results.