End of Plastic Bags This Week

The 1st June 2022 sees the end of lightweight plastic bags in NSW due to the Plastic Reduction and Circular Economy Act 2021 being passed by the NSW Parliament last November.

In addition to the 1 June lightweight plastic bag ban, from November this year the NSW Government is banning:

• single-use plastic straws, stirrers, cutlery, plates, bowls and cotton buds
• expanded polystyrene food ware and cups
• rinse-off personal care products containing plastic microbeads.

It is estimated that the ban will prevent almost 2.7 billion items of plastic litter from entering the environment in NSW over the next 20 years.

Minister for Environment James Griffin explained the ban, saying “I think all of us can see the impact plastic pollution is having on our environment, which is why we’re making major changes in NSW this year.

“Single-use plastic is used by many of us for just a few convenient minutes, but it remains in our environment for many years, eventually breaking into microplastics.

“Single-use plastic items and packaging make up 60 per cent of all litter in NSW. By stopping the supply of problematic plastic in the first place, we’re helping prevent it from entering our environment as litter, or going into landfill.

“We each have the power to make positive environmental change at an individual level, and I encourage everyone to choose to go plastic-free as often as they can,” Mr Griffin said.

It may surprise you to learn that so-called “compostable” and “bioplastic” alternatives to the above items are also being banned. This is because they don’t biodegrade unless they’re treated in an industrial composting facility, creating just as much of a problem as conventional plastic.

To ensure small businesses are ready for the changes this year, the NSW Government engaged the National Retail Association (NRA) to deliver a comprehensive retailer education campaign.

Minister for Small Business Eleni Petinos said the NSW Government is supporting more than 40,000 businesses across NSW to phase-out single-use plastics.

“The NSW Government has worked with stakeholders to support small businesses to understand how they will be affected, how to comply with new laws and what alternatives they can use to single-use plastics,” Ms Petinos said.

“Through the NRA, we’re running a retailer education campaign, conducting store visits, and providing online webinars and resources to help businesses make the adjustment away from single-use plastics.”

The NRA has launched a free hotline (1800 844 946) to offer businesses, community organisations and consumers advice on the single-use plastic bans.

For more information about the NSW plastics ban, visit http://www.dpie.nsw.gov.au/plastics-ban.

• Topics:

• Environmental Issues