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Guide to the 2025 ban on single-use plastics

The following guide provides information about the ban on plastic produce stickers, pre-filled plastic soy sauce containers (including soy sauce fish containers), attached straws and cutlery, and expanded polystyrene (EPS) cup and bowl packaging

These bans will come into effect on 1 September 2025. Banned products cannot be supplied following this date.

At a glance

These bans will commence on 1 September 2025:

  • Ban on non-Australian Standard (AS) certified compostable plastic labels affixed to produce (fruit or vegetables) for sale in South Australia
  • Ban on pre-filled plastic soy sauce containers (including soy sauce fish containers)
  • Removal of exclusion for straws and cutlery attached to or contained in a food or beverage product 
  • Removal of exclusion for expanded polystyrene (EPS) cup and bowl packaging 

There will be a 3-year temporary exemption until 31 August 2028 for:

  • Plastic produce stickers certified compostable to ATSM D6400 (US Standard), EN 13432, TUV OK compost INDUSTRIAL or TUV OK compost HOME as a transitional solution.

Plastic produce stickers

South Australia will be the first Australian jurisdiction to ban plastic produce stickers that are not certified compostable to Australian Standards (AS). The ban will apply to plastic labels affixed to fruit or vegetables for sale in South Australia. If South Australian produce is sold into markets outside the state, the ban will not apply. Businesses that import fruit into South Australia must ensure that where fruit and vegetables are labelled, those labels comply with the South Australian regulations.

More than 80% of South Australians have access to a green-lidded organics bin service, where household food waste should be placed. In addition, many South Australians are keen home composters. While plastic produce stickers should be removed, this does not always happen. The ban will ensure that plastic produce stickers do not turn up as a contaminant in compost outputs.

Some fruit and vegetables are stored for months before sale. In consideration of these practices, the ban will not apply to fruit and vegetables that were stickered and placed in cold storage or are held in any part of the supply chain prior to sale on 1 September 2025.  This means that the ban will apply only to fruit and vegetables that are stickered and enter the supply chain from 1 September 2025.

What will be banned?

  • Plastic produce stickers that are not AS certified compostable (conventional plastic stickers on produce such as apples, pears, avocados, bananas, citrus fruits, kiwi fruits and pineapples)

To ensure that businesses can utilise all certified compostable produce stickers available there will be a 3-year temporary exemption until 31 August 2028 for:

  • plastic produce stickers certified compostable to ATSM D6400 (US Standard), EN 13432, TUV OK compost INDUSTRIAL or TUV OK compost HOME.


What won’t be banned?

  • AS certified compostable plastic produce stickers, and before 1 September 2028, plastic produce stickers certified compostable to ATSM D6400 (US Standard), EN 13432, TUV OK compost INDUSTRIAL or TUV OK compost HOME
  • Paper produce stickers without plastic coatings
  • Labelling produce using laser or similar technology

FAQs

  • What are AS certified compostable products?

    Certified compostable products are made of materials that do not leave behind any toxic material, breaking down readily in a commercial, or sometimes home, composting system. This can include items that look like plastic, such as bowls, cups and bags. Labelling on these products must clearly state the item is certified compostable, preferably including the relevant AS certification logo, to assist consumers and businesses to purchase compliant products and to use appropriate disposal pathways. Australia has 2 of the highest standards in the world when it comes to certification:

    AS 4736:2006 Biodegradable plastics suitable for industrial/compostable composting and other microbial treatment

    This certifies the product can be composted through a commercial composting facility. In the majority of South Australian council areas, in workplaces and schools with organics collections, and at public events, this means the material can go into the available green organics bins.

     AS 5810:2010 Biodegradable plastics suitable for home or commercial/industrial composting 

    This certifies that the product can be composted in your home compost bin. It is also suitable to go into a green organics bin.

  • What are ATSM D6400, EN 13432, TUV OK compost INDUSTRIAL or TUV OK compost HOME?

    During public consultation, stakeholders expressed concerns that there were no AS certified compostable produce stickers commercially available to meet the ban implementation deadline of 1 September 2025.

    As part of the transition period until 31 August 2028, produce stickers certified to the following composting standards will be permitted:

    • ASTM D6400-23 Standard Specification for Labeling of Plastics Designed to be Aerobically Composted in Municipal or Industrial Facilities. This is the US Standard for industrially compostable bioplastic products.
    • EN 13432 Packaging – Requirement for packaging recoverable through composting and biodegradation – Test scheme and evaluation criteria for the final acceptance of packaging. This is the European Standard for industrially compostable bioplastic products. 
    • OK compost INDUSTRIAL is a European certification that is harmonised with EN 13432, indicating that it is an industrially compostable bioplastic product.
    • OK compost HOME is a European certification that is based on several standards including AS 5810:2010, indicating that it is a home compostable bioplastic product.

    These standards are not the same as AS 4736:2006 and AS 5810:2010, which include an additional requirement of a worm toxicity test. This testing component ensures that AS certified compostable items in the compost have no toxic effect on plants and earthworms, making it preferable to other international standards.

  • What is the difference between Australia's industrial composting standard (AS 4736:2006) and Australia's home composting standard (AS 5810:2010)?

    Commercial composting facilities generate much more heat than a home compost bin and use oxygen and water to break down materials into compost. Both AS 4736:2006 and AS 5810:2010 certified compostable products can be processed at commercial composting facilities in South Australia.

    As home composting facilities do not reach the same high temperatures that are reached at commercial composting facilities, only AS 5810:2010 certified compostable products are suited to home compost systems.


Plastic soy sauce fish containers

Small, single serve soy sauce containers are most commonly found in the shape of fish, but can also be pigs, small rectangular receptacles, and  other assorted shapes. It is intended that the ban will cover all shapes of single-use rigid plastic containers, with lids, under 30 ml that are used for soy sauce and provided with takeaway foods (such as sushi).

What will be banned?

  • Plastic soy sauce containers with a lid, cap or stopper, containing less than 30ml of soy sauce (including small fish-shaped containers and small rectangular containers) 

What won’t be banned?


  • Sachets of soy sauce and sachets of all other condiments of any size
  • Squeezy packs of soy sauce and squeezy packs of all other condiments of any size
  • Containers of all other condiments pre-packaged off-premise 

Small cup-shaped plastic sauce containers (with or without lids) that are filled on-premise (that is, not pre-packaged offsite) will already have been banned from 1 September 2024 (see the guideline on food and beverage containers).


Single-use plastic drinking straws and single-use plastic cutlery attached to a food or beverage product

There is an exclusion for single-use plastic drinking straws and single-use plastic cutlery attached to, or contained within, a food or beverage product to enable or assist with consumption of the food or beverage. This will be removed from 1 September 2025.

Removal of this exclusion is in line with  similar bans being put into place by New South Wales (from 1 January 2025) and by Victoria (from 1 January 2026).

What will be banned?

  • Plastic cutlery either attached to or contained within a food container
  • Plastic drinking straws attached to a drink container, for example juice drink containers

What won’t be banned?

  • Plastic lollipop sticks
  • Plastic ice cream sticks
  • Plastic wrapping of straws or cutlery attached to container


EPS cups and EPS bowls that form part of food or beverage packaging

From 1 September 2025, the exclusion in place for pre-packaged EPS cups and EPS bowls will be removed. This includes EPS that forms an integral part of the packaging of pre-packaged single serve food or beverage products that are either ready for immediate consumption or consumption after cooling or heating of the contents.

This is in line with similar bans being put into place by New South Wales (from 1 January 2025) and by Victoria (from 1 January 2026).

What will be banned?

  • Pre-packaged EPS cups or bowls containing a meal (including noodles or pasta with flavouring)

What won’t be banned?

  • Heat resistant plastic packaging, but not comprised of EPS, that is used for pre-packaged meals (including instant noodles and instant pasta)
  • Plastic-lined or plastic-coated paper cups and bowls that are used for pre-packaged meals (including instant noodles and instant pasta)

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