The AM Show host Ryan Bridge has accused Mark Richardson of being "lazy" during a lighthearted exchange about recycling and the environment.
During Tuesday's show, Bridge and sports reader Richardson were discussing The AM Show's daily poll - which asked viewers whether they washed their recycling.
Dirty recycling or contamination can cause an entire truckload of things that could have been recycled to landfill - as a result of not being washed.
Richardson said he was "staggered" 80 percent of respondents clicked 'yes' to washing their recycling.
"I don't. I'm in the 20 percent… it should be their responsibility at wherever the recycling centre is to sort it out. Don't ask me to do [it]... You want me to recycle, don't make it difficult."
Richardson suggested if "these save the planet people want to save the planet, then get off your backsides and actually improve your own systems so it makes it easier".
However, after a brief pause from co-hosts Bridge and Amanda Gillies, Richardson was pulled into line.
Bridge told Richardson he was "just lazy".
"Sometimes you say things that are completely against the ideals of your political beliefs… you just don't want to wash a milk bottle and you're making this absurd argument to justify the whole thing. Just wash the milk bottle!"
Richardson denied that, saying he believes in "what I want to believe".
"My political party is actually the Mark Richardson party," he said.
"We're trying to save the planet which also includes water conservation - how much more water are we going to be using washing out our recycling?"
Gillies had some advice for Richardson on that front, too.
"You don't need that much water to wash it out, Mark. You could use recycled water - take the water from out of your shower."
The Rinse, Recycle, Repeat campaign was launched last week by the Waste Management Institute of NZ - aiming to encourage people to rinse their bottles, jars and tins.
