This article comparatively analyses the current plastic bans across all Australian jurisdictions following the release of NSW and WA Government’s plans to ban plastics.

Published on 16 June 2021.

The NSW Government released its Plastics Action Plan 2021 over the weekend, which included a ban on lightweight plastic bags, disposable plastic straws, stirrers and cutlery, expanded polystyrene food containers, plastic cotton buds and microbeads.

Longer term targets have also been set for single use plastic bowls, plates and cups, oxo-degradable plastics, non-compostable fruit stickers, heavyweight plastic shopping bags and barrier / produce bags in NSW. But the banning of these items is not certain – they will be reviewed in three years to determine whether a phase out is appropriate at that time.

Within hours, the WA Government then announced that its Plan for Plastics would be fast-tracked by four years.

As for NSW, WA will ban certain items in two phases. Like NSW, WA’s first phase will involve the ban of disposable plastic straws, stirrers and cutlery, expanded polystyrene food containers and plastic cotton buds but this will occur by the end of 2021 (WA banned lightweight plastic bags in 2018). WA will additionally include single use plastic bowls, plates and cups, straws, heavyweight plastic shopping bags and helium balloon releases in its first phase.

WA’s second phase will include cotton buds, microbeads, barrier / produce bags and oxo-degradable plastics, but this phase will be implemented by late 2022 and will also include coffee cups and lids, polystyrene cups and all polystyrene packaging.

Both NSW and WA are behind South Australia, Queensland and the ACT. South Australia banned plastic straws, stirrers, cutlery, oxo-degradable plastics and expanded polystyrene food containers and cups in March this year. The ACT banned cutlery, drink stirrers and expanded polystyrene takeaway food and beverage containers in July this year. Queensland will ban plastic straws, cutlery, plastic bowls and plates and expanded polystyrene food containers and cups in September this year.

Victoria has also announced bans on plastic straws, cutlery, plastic plates and bowls, expanded polystyrene food and drink containers and plastic cotton buds – but Victoria’s bans will not take place until February 2023.

The Northern Territory and Tasmania are yet to announce any such bans.

The National Waste Policy of 2018 identified differences in waste policy and regulation across the country as a factor hindering effective action and creating problems for businesses operating in national markets.

 Nevertheless, each State and Territory is clearly taking its own path in relation to single use plastics.

 Following the Environment Minister’s Meeting in April, eight ‘problematic and unnecessary’ plastic products were identified for national phase out by 2025. But only one of these plastics – lightweight shopping bags – will finally be banned nationwide when NSW’s ban comes into force in mid-2022, some 13 years after SA implemented its plastic shopping bag ban. The other seven plastic products are currently subject to actual or announced bans in only one or some of the jurisdictions across Australia.

Meanwhile WA ban takeaway coffee cups, WA, NSW and Victoria ban plastic cotton buds, NSW bans plastic fruit stickers and WA bans helium balloon releases.

The table below sets out which jurisdictions are banning what – and when.

Jennifer Hughes