Single-use plastics are now prohibited in NSW, and environmental activists applaud the decision as a significant victory for wildlife including birds and fish.
The use of plastic straws, plates, glasses, cotton buds with plastic stems, and personal care goods containing microbeads is currently prohibited in NSW.
Environment Minister James Griffin announced today’s ban on single-use plastic goods like straws, stirrers, and expanded polystyrene bowls and plates.
In response to a planned prohibition, the parliament got 16,000 submissions in 2020, with 98% of the responses in favour of the action.
The government has worked with more than 40,000 firms in 15 languages to help them be ready for the transition since the Plastics Reduction and Circular Economy Act was approved by the parliament last year.
The prohibition will stop 2. 7 billion plastic objects from entering the environment over the following 20 years, despite NSW producing 800,000 tonnes of plastic annually.
The moratorium comes after the June phase-out of thin single-use plastic bags.
The Australian Marine Conservation Society’s Shane Cucow, an anti-plastics activist, claims that the ban is a major victory for dolphins, seabirds, and whales.
The move takes NSW, which has the country’s largest plastic footprint, from being an environmental laggard to a leader, he says.
In order to clean up plastic waste and restore our beautiful marine environment, ocean lovers have been requesting action from the government, and we appreciate the administration for doing so, according to Cucow.
Despite some growing pains, businesses have largely embraced doing away with plastic, according to Ebony Johnson of the National Retail Association, who spoke to AAP.
Through 13,000 in-person visits, the association educated 40,000 companies and community organisations around the state.
It makes good commercial sense because consumers also desire it, according to Johnson.
These are extremely clear-cut items, and I believe the restriction is easy to understand.
Supply bottlenecks could be handled since there was ample advance information from the government to the business community.
As the transition is completed, assistance to businesses and community organisations will continue.
Cleaning up plastic pollution and looking into alternatives are also included in the government’s plastics action plan, which will cost $356 million over five years.
Drink stirrers, most plastic trays, and single-use takeaway packaging were all prohibited from sale or production in New Zealand as of last month.
Single-use plastic drink stirrers, cotton buds, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pre-formed food trays and containers, polystyrene takeaway packaging for food and beverages, expanded polystyrene food and beverage retail packaging, such as foam takeaway containers or some instant noodle cups, and plastics with additives that cause them to fragment into micro-plastics were among the plastics that were prohibited from sale as of October 1.
NSW bans single-use plastic products
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