Single-use Plastic FAQs - Restricted and Prohibited Items

The legislation applies to any person who, in the course of carrying on a business, sells, supplies or distributes a prohibited plastic product (listed) to another person in South Australia. 

Prohibited starting March 1, 2021:

• Single-use plastic drinking straw*
• Single-use plastic beverage stirrer
• Single-use plastic cutlery

Prohibited starting March 1 2022:

• Expanded Polystyrene clamshell containers, plates, bowls or cups
• Products made from oxo-degradable plastic

It will also be an offence for a person or business to manufacture or produce oxo-degradable plastic products. 

It will not be an offence to:

• manufacture prohibited plastic products in South Australia, however, these items must not be sold, supplied or distributed to another person or business within South Australia.
• sell, supply or distribute prohibited plastic products to a person or business outside of South Australia (i.e. interstate or overseas). 

The legislation defines a business as: ‘an enterprise, association, organisation or other body’ that undertakes activities that are of a ‘commercial, charitable, sporting, educational or community nature’. 

*Exemptions will apply for single-use plastic straws. 

Manufacturers, producers, wholesalers and distributors – referred to as ‘prescribed persons’ – face higher penalties under the legislation. 

An exemption to allow the continued sale, supply and distribution of single-use plastic drinking straws to people who require them for disability or medical needs is being developed. This may result in certain businesses being able to sell, supply and distribute single-use plastic drinking straws.

Businesses that manufacture or produce oxo-degradable plastic products will not be able to do so from March 1 2022.

Compostable (bioplastic) plastic products include Polylactic Acid (PLA). Products lined with compostable plastic, including PLA, are also considered a prohibited plastic product under the legislation.

Fossil-fuel derived plastic products include Polypropylene (PP) and Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC). Products lined with plastic are also considered prohibited plastic products under the legislation.

The legislation includes both fossil-fuel derived plastic and compostable (bioplastic) plastic products (such as Polylactic Acid - PLA), but only for the prohibited plastic products listed in the legislation.  These products will be restricted/prohibited from March 1, 2021.
Please see the Prohibited Items page for sample images. 

Single-Use Plastic Drinking Straws

Any straw made from, or comprising, fossil-fuel derived plastic and/or compostable plastic which is designed or intended to be used once, or a limited number of times before being thrown away.Exemptions will apply for people who require single-use plastic straws due to a disability or medical needs. Exemptions will also apply for pre-packaged and attached products. 

Single-Use Plastic Stirrers

Any stirrer made from, or comprising, fossil-fuel derived plastic or compostable plastic which is designed or intended to be used once or a limited number of times before being thrown away.

Single-Use Plastic Cutlery

Any utensil that can be used to eat food. This includes spoons, forks, knives, sporks, splayds and chopsticks which are designed or intended to be used once or a limited number of time before being thrown away Exemptions will apply for pre-packaged and attached products.

The legislation includes both fossil-fuel derived plastic and compostable (bioplastic) plastic products (such as Polylactic Acid - PLA), but only for the prohibited plastic products listed in the legislation. Bioplastics are not a suitable alternative for single-use straws, cutlery and stirrers. While compostable plastic products can break down in industrial composting facilities, they can also cause pollution and harm to marine life in the same way as conventional, fossil-fuel plastic products if they enter the environment.

Read the fact sheets HERE.

South Australia’s single-use plastics legislation restricts the sale, supply or distribution of certain products. 

It does not prohibit the use of items that have been purchased for personal use ahead of the bans commencing. Therefore, householders will be permitted to use up their supply of any of the prohibited plastic products they may have at home.

Before disposing of these items, you may like to consider whether they could be reused for other purposes prior to being discarded. For example, art, craft and science activities, or for growing seedlings.

Plastic items that commonly contain oxo-degradable additives are:

• magazine wraps
• dry cleaning bags
• kitchen products (e.g. piping bags)
• bin liners
• garbage bags
• pet waste bags
• litter tray liners
• bubble wrap
• sticking tape
• padded envelopes.

1. Look for the term ‘oxo-degradable’ on the product or its packaging.
   Other terms that could suggest that the product is a prohibited product in South Australia include: ‘oxo-biodegradable, ‘degradable’ and ‘fragmentable’ – plus many other terms.
   Further information may be required to determine if these products are prohibited in SA.
   
   
2. Look for information about what the products claims to do. For example, does it claim to ‘fragment’ but isn’t certified compostable? Does it ‘break down’ in the open environment (on land or in water), but also contains fossil fuel-derived plastic?
   
   
3. Look for logos that can tell you it ISN’T oxo-degradable.
   The following logos indicate that a product is certified compostable to Australian Standards and is NOT oxo-degradable.
   
   
   
4. If you are still unsure whether the product is an oxo-degradable plastic product, please contact us for further guidance.

In the legislation, oxo-degradable plastic means:

‘a material (however described) made of plastic which includes additives to accelerate the fragmentation of the material into smaller pieces, triggered by ultraviolet radiation or heat exposure, whether or not this is, or may be, followed by partial or complete breakdown of the material by microbial action’.

See the legislation in full.