Congratulations to South Australia – leading out with the first legislation passed in Australia to ban single use, problematic and unnecessary plastic packaging.

This week South Australia became the first state to ban single-use plastic items like straws, cutlery and stirrers from early 2021.With other Australian states are looking at similar initiatives, with Queensland recently committing to phasing out the problematic single-use plastics by July 2021 and the Australian Capital Territory anticipated to bring out a similar bill this year, and New South Wales and Western Australia have completed public consultation in this area.

South Australia has long been a leader in waste management and sustainable packaging reform, being the first state in Australia to ban the bag back in 2009 and first to implement a container deposit scheme. They too are looking to further extend the legislation – utilising a staged approach to phase out other single-use plastic items over several years.

South Australian Minister for Environment and Water David Speirs said in a media release there has been strong feedback to see action on single-use plastics.

“There has been significant community and industry support for swift action on single-use plastic products with many households and businesses across the state already taking steps to remove them,” said Minister Speirs.

“Our legislation at first bans single-use plastic items like straws, cutlery and beverage stirrers and outlines a framework for adding more items in the future. However, with COVID-19 restrictions still impacting on society and in particular the hospitality industry, we will delay the commencement of the legislation.

“This will give businesses time to bounce back and properly prepare before the ban comes into effect in early 2021. This approach strikes an appropriate balance between the public’s desire for change and the needs of businesses.”

Transitioning away from single-use plastic products can take a range of forms – from reducing or removing use of a product, or looking for sustainable alternatives.

• SA has passed laws to ban single-use plastic products — the first state in Australia to do so
• The State Government says the new rules will be enforced in 2021 due to the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic
• It says the ban on straws, cutlery and beverage stirrers could be extended to include other products
• With South Australia taking a strong stance on sustainable packaging, and other states shortly to follow, contact us for any help with your sustainability goals.

Alternatively, you can download our Home Compostable brochure below.