LEADING THE WAY
On September 9, 2020, the South Australian Parliament passed the Single-use and Other Plastic Products (Waste Avoidance) Act 2020. This legislation is the first of its kind in Australia and a positive step towards avoiding waste.
The South Australian food and hospitality industry will lead the rest of the country by avoiding waste and offering sustainable alternatives to single-use plastic food service items.
WHEN?
1 September 2024
Plastic barrier bags, thick supermarket and boutique-style plastic bags, EPS consumer food and beverage containers, plastic confetti and plastic balloon sticks/ties, plastic bread tags, single-use plastic beverage containers (including coffee cups), and single-use plastic food containers will be banned from sale, supply and distribution in South Australia.
1 September 2023
Single-use plastic bowls and plates, plastic-stemmed cotton buds and plastic pizza savers were prohibited from sale, supply and distribution in South Australia.
1 March 2022
Expanded polystyrene cups, bowls plates and clamshell containers were prohibited from sale, supply or distribution in South Australia, and oxo-degradable plastic products were prohibited from manufacture and production in the state.
1 March 2021
Single-use plastic straws, cutlery and stirrers were prohibited from sale, supply or distribution in South Australia, with some exemptions for single-use plastic straws.
WHY?
It is recognised around the world that phasing out single-use plastics is an important and achievable step in striving to reduce pollution, cut carbon emissions and protect marine life. Without action, the annual flow of plastic into the ocean alone will nearly triple by 2040 to 29 million metric tonnes per year, the equivalent of 50 kilograms of plastic for every metre of coastline worldwide.
South Australia has taken steps to address the impacts associated with a range of single-use and other plastic products and was the first jurisdiction in Australia to do so on a state-wide basis. Other states and territories have since followed South Australia's lead.