Auckland Council estimates that recycling contamination is currently costing taxpayers $3.5 million per year. Local governments, like the Auckland Council, have used educational initiatives to help tackle the problem and encourage individuals to pick up their load.
Para Kore’s Matt Peryman, however, says doing so won’t alleviate New Zealand’s waste issues under current systems.
“Aucklanders and New Zealanders can’t be held responsible for something that’s a real global problem,” he says.
“It’s an industry problem that the government needs to take control of and regulate; individual people can’t actually make a huge difference by just recycling alone.”
A new study shows 30% of Auckland’s kerbside recycling is going to landfill due to misuse of bins and lack of education, but Para Kore says the system is set up to fail and putting responsibility on households won’t solve the issue.
The Waste & Recycling Industry Association (WRIA) has released the report, which says Auckland has the highest percentage of recycling going to landfill in the country, and that the situation has worsened.
Executive Director Barney Irvine says most of it comes from people who don’t care.
“About two-thirds of this waste that’s turning up in the recycling is stuff that just should never be there”, he says.
“Anything from wood and stones, to used nappies and old clothes...It’s clear that a large number of people are using the recycling bin as a second rubbish bin”.
The report shows that the other third of redirected recycling comes from those who may be trying to use their bin correctly but fail to remove food scraps or simply have not removed the items from a plastic bag.
“What that suggests is that there are a lot of people out there who are trying to do the right thing but just don’t quite know how to do it”, says Irvine.
Problems are being faced with recycling worldwide, as only an estimated 9% of it is successfully recycled. Peryman says this presents a need for different tactics that can only be set at a government level.
“There are a lot of things the government can do, especially around regulating the industry, making sure that they are responsible for their products across their lifetime, not just from when they sell them and then do whatever after and pollute the oceans and rivers”, he says.
The price of a plastic bottle can cost manufacturers less than a few cents per unit without repercussions for where the material ends up.
“Every person with policy power has a role to play, and they should be making policies that support te taiao and people rather than just making profit for corporations”, says Peryman.
“The government can also implement new systems and support repair rather than just producing more and more materials that we don’t need”.
The WRIA suggests that enforcing mandatory Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes is ideal, making producers pay a fee for the volume of material placed on the market.
Environment Minister Nicola Grigg says Cabinet approved proposals in October 2025 for a new EPR framework, including amendments to the “outdated waste and litter legislation”, with a draft bill now underway.
“An EPR framework could improve the recovery and recycling of materials and products by providing greater flexibility to enable adaptable, industry-led EPR schemes.”
Grigg also says the cross-sector Recycling Leadership Forum is working with an Australian organisation to introduce the Australasian Recycling Label in New Zealand.
“Effective recycling labelling can help improve recycling by providing information around how to recycle and/or dispose of packaging appropriately,” she says.
