Biggest step taken in 2024 in schedule for phasing out sing;e-use plastic items in South Australia from 2021
Single-used plastic items to be phased out in South Australia from Septeber 2024 represented to biggest batch since the scheduled bans started in 2021. Anothe phase was scheduled for 2025.
Images courtesy Replace the Waste, South Australian government
The South Australian government's phasing out from 2021 of single-use plastic took its biggest leap of changes in number of items to be banned from Spetmber 1, 2024.
As announced in, November 2022 the bans from 2024 would target:
• plastic barrier bags for fruit, vegetables, nuts and confectionery;
• thick plastic bags including supermarket or boutique-style plastic bags and singlet style takeaway bags;
* single-use plastic hot and cold beverage containers (including coffee cups) and their lids;
* single-use plastic food containers for ready-to-eat takeaway food;
* expanded polystyrene (EPS) consumer food and beverage containers;
* EPS trays;
* plastic food bag tags, and
* plastic confetti and plastic balloon sticks/ties.
Certified compostable bioplastic food and beverage containers were still allowed, as well as certified compostable bags, as these were compatible with councils’ kitchen caddies. All food scraps could go in the green bin that transports them to be processed into a highly sought after compost by South Australian farmers, growers, and the wine industry.
Another round of plastic bans was scheduled for 2025. These related to plastic fruit stickers, plastic soy sauce fish, and pre-packaged and products with plastic straws or cutlery. For these products, industry was being given time to design more sustainable product formats and alternative solutions.
South Australia was the first Australian state or territory to address the state-wide impacts associated with single-use and other plastic products. Other states and territories later followed South Australia's lead.
Free support to businesses during the changes was provided through the state government-funded Plastic Free South Australia programme. For businesses who were unsure or needed advice on alternatives and banned items, the South Australian government had a team at replacethewaste.sa.gov.au.
