Wishcycling is the disposal of consumer waste in a recycling bin in hopes of it being recycled, when it cannot or is unlikely to be recycled.^[1] Wishcycling occurs because people are unfamiliar with what can be recycled or they believe the item they dispose of for recycling can be made into a useful item.^[2] Recycling programs differ by jurisdiction and accept different types of items, which can lead to confusion as to what types of items are accepted.^[3]

Wishcycling can be harmful to the recycling process of items that can actually be recycled in multiple ways.^[4] Recycling trucks can be overloaded. The unwanted items take up the time and effort of workers who handle recyclables to separate them from the true recyclables. The non-recyclable items can contaminate the mills that handle recyclable goods, sometimes requiring entire batches of recyclables to be thrown away. In some cases, they can damage the mills.^[5][6][7] Nearly one-fifth of all recyclables are contaminated by wishcycling.^[8]

Commonly wishcycled objects include Christmas trees, wrapping paper, gift bags, pizza boxes, clementine boxes, clothing, bedsheets, ink cartridges, soiled paper products, and styrofoam.^[6][9]