Banned March 2021

Single-use plastic straws, cutlery and stirrers were prohibited from sale, supply or distribution in South Australia including bioplastic alternatives. These single-use items can be replaced with reusable and plastic-free compostable alternatives. Health and disability exemptions  apply for single-use plastic straws. 

Banned March 2022

Expanded polystyrene cups, bowls, plates and clamshell containers were also prohibited from sale, supply or distribution in South Australia.

Oxo-degradable plastic products were prohibited from production, manufacture, supply and sale in the state.

Oxo-degradable plastic products have additives which enable the plastic to break down into tiny fragments (‘microplastics’) and do not completely decompose. 

Banned Sept 2023

Plastic stemmed cotton buds will be phased out. Exemptions, where plastic stemmed cotton buds are required for medical, veterinary, and other scientific purposes will be developed.

Single-use plastic bowls and plates will be phased out. 

Plastic pizza savers will be phased out. These are difficult to recycle in conventional recycling facilities, and when left inside a cardboard pizza box they impact on the recyclability or compost ability of the pizza box.

Banned Sept 2024

Plastic produce bags will be phased out, enabling the market to switch to compostable alternatives, that are certified to Australian Standards for compostability [AS4736-2006 and AS5810-2010], aligning with and supporting our state’s efforts in recovering food waste from households. 

Thick supermarket or boutique-style plastic bags will be phased out. There are alternatives for these and the timing of this ban allows retailers to source alternatives and inform customers.

Single-use plastic beverage containers (including coffee cups) offer convenience for consumers, but these items and their attachments (such as lids and beverage plugs) have limited recovery and recycling pathways, creating confusion for consumers. Some estimates suggest that Australians throw away up to 1 billion coffee cups a year

Fibre and other compostable, or non-plastic recyclable or reusable alternatives can replace single-use plastic food containers with various alternatives already available and in use.

Expanded polystyrene cups, bowls, plates and clamshell containers were prohibited from sale, supply and distribution in South Australia on 1 March 2022. Other expanded polystyrene (EPS) consumer food and beverage containers in the market (e.g. gelato tubs) will also be banned. EPS trays used for meat, fruit and other food items for retail sale will be phased out. EPS is not recyclable through household kerbside collection systems and there are no alternative collection systems available.

Plastic confetti will be phased out in South Australia. The interpretation of what constitutes confetti will be defined in regulations to follow.

Plastic bread tags can be replaced with non-plastic alternatives, as has already been introduced by at least one major bread producer.

Banned Sept 2025

Plastic fruit stickers, plastic soy sauce fish, and pre-packaged and attached products (i.e. products that contain plastic straws or cutlery) are to be phased out.

For these products, industry needs time to design new, more sustainable product formats and implement alternative solutions.