Hopes a new waste management system will put an end to "wish-cycling".

The Government's standardising urban household recycling nationwide by 2027, and introducing kerbside food scrap collection by 2030.

Zero Waste Network says people putting things in the bin, just hoping it's recyclable - is a big problem.

Spokesperson Sue Coutts  says it creates issues for recyclers who sell products offshore for repurposing.

"They haven't been able to get as good quality materials and they haven't been able to guarantee that the things that are going into the recycling bin are actually getting recycled."

LISTEN ABOVE

• Plastic recycling numbers are up, with less councils sending them to landfills
• Recycling wrong: Kiwis dispose of 97 million plastic containers in rubbish bins each year
• Study shows even radical changes to recycling won't fix NZ's plastic problem