In an Australian-first, South Australia has prohibited the sale, supply, or distribution of all single-use plastic products across the state, such as drinking straws, stirrers, and cutlery, following legislation on the issue passing in Parliament last year.
Bioplastics like PLA are also banned despite being labelled as compostable, due to being only composted under strict industrial conditions. The ban will also extend to polystyrene cups, bowls, plates, and clam-shell containers, as well as oxo-degradable plastic products by 2022.
APCO is a member of the SA government’s Single-Use Plastics Stakeholder Taskforce, which has assisted in designing the legislation, and the organisation has said it is pleased to see SA lead the country on this pressing issue.
“We are thrilled to have played a part in the development of this historic legislation, which will help to reduce the burden on the environment and is an important step towards achieving the 2025 National Packaging Targets,” APCO said.
“With similar bans in both Queensland and the ACT set to come into force soon, and WA and Victoria recently announcing their own bans to commence by 2023, it’s heartening to see committed action being taken across the country to combat unnecessary single-use plastics.”
According to Environment Minister David Speirs, moving early on the ban meant the state’s businesses, which manufacture reusable compostable alternatives, have already been able to start setting up in the state.
“It means our single-use plastic ban will have significant economic benefits and create local jobs, as well as being good for the environment,” says Speirs.
“We will continue to consider more products such as takeaway coffee cups, plastic barrier bags and other takeaway food service items, as market demand increases and other sustainable alternatives become available.
“We are protecting our environment for future generations, reducing marine and other litter, and promoting the circular economy with a shift away from a single-use, throwaway mindset.”
The legislation however doesn’t prevent members of the community from brining their own straws to cafes, and, given a person’s disability or medical needs, businesses may supply single-use plastic products.
“This consultation has enabled us to develop an exemption so that single-use plastic drinking straws can be accessed by people who require them due to a disability or health need,” Speirs adds.
Prescribed businesses including pharmacies, local government offices, charities, and medical, dental and care facilities can sell and supply single-use plastic products for these purposes.
Recently, supermarket giant Coles announced it would phase-out single-use plastics from all of its outlets by 1 July 2021, with stores in SA phasing out the legislated single-use plastic tableware by 1 March 2021, in line with the state's new law.
