Associate Minister for the Environment Eugenie Sage discusses plans to ban single-use plastic bags. (Video first published in December 2018)

The Government will move to ban non-compostible fruit stickers today in response to a huge new report about single-use plastic, Stuff understands.

It's understood the Government will also move to ban plastic cotton buds and single-use plastic cutlery, items which both have biodegradable alternatives made out of bamboo.

Compostible apple stickers do exist but are not in wide-use.

The announcement will be made on Sunday morning as part of a response to report from the Prime Minister's chief scientist, alongside a host of other measures.

GETTY Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is poised to announce further sweeping measures to reduce the use of plastics

The Government are looking to follow up on the ban of single-use plastic bags, which it sees as having been a huge success.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is particularly invested in the policy programme, noting repeatedly that the number one thing she receives letters about is reducing waste.

Part of the announcement will be making clear that the government is not against all plastic - just single-use non-recyclable plastic.

Around 30 per cent of plastic produced is single-use.

JOHN VEAGE/FAIRFAX MEDIA Single use plastic bags were banned earlier this year

It is very keen to see this type of plastic not being produced in New Zealand at all, and only wishes to ban things for which there are decent more biodegradable alternatives.

It's understood the overall message will be a return to the simple message of "reduce, re-use, recycle."

Since the 1950s 8.3 billion tonnes of plastic has been produced and over 80 per cent of it has ended up in landfills or discarded into the environment.

New Zealand has serious problems with managing its waste, compounded by the recent decision of China to stop buying plastic waste.

The Government have proposed raising the waste levy by up to $50 over the next three years, from $10 a tonne to $60 a tonne in 2023.

The Provincial Growth Fund has also allocated $40m for projects that turn waste into useful products.

Polling suggests the public will back further moves to restrict single-use plastics.

MONIQUE FORD/STUFF A mountain of plastics at Wellington's Seaview recycling plant

An August 1 News/Colmar Brunton poll found that 82 per cent of New Zealanders wanted the plastic bag ban extended to other single-use plastics.

Green Party supporters were the most behind the move while National supporters were the most opposed.

Many have conflated the issue of climate change and waste but the two are quite different. While waste contributes to New Zealand's emissions profile it pales in comparison to agriculture and transport.