More single-use plastics have been banned in Victoria from 1 February, as part of the Andrews Labor Government’s crackdown on plastic pollution in the state.
The following items are now banned from sale or supply in Victoria:
- drinking straws
- cutlery
- plates
- drink stirrers and sticks
- cotton bud sticks
- expanded polystyrene (EPS) food service items, and
- EPS drink containers.
The latest ban follows the Labor Government’s ban on plastic shopping bags in 2019, and applies to conventional, degradable and compostable plastics, including bioplastics.
What are the exemptions?
There are five exemptions where banned single-use plastic items can continue to be used in Victoria for health and safety reasons, or where suitable alternatives to a subset of banned items are not currently available. These are:
- single-use plastic drinking straws for people who need them due to a disability or for medical reasons
- single-use plastic cotton bud sticks for testing carried out for scientific, medical, forensic or law enforcement purposes
- single-use plastic cutlery where required in correctional and mental health facilities to prevent physical harm or injury
- until 1 November 2024, paper or cardboard plates lined with plastic, and
- until 1 January 2026, any single-use plastic item that is integrated into food or drink packaging, for example, a single-use plastic spoon included in a yoghurt tub.
The Regulations also do not apply to EPS containers used for food packaging and transport, where the food is not typically consumed from the receptacle. For example, the Regulations do not apply to EPS trays for transporting raw meats, large EPS food storage boxes or EPS multi-serve gelato tubs.
Why the single-use plastics ban?
Single-use plastics currently make up a third of Victoria’s litter, according to the Government.
“Plastic pollution has significant impacts on our health, wildlife, and the environment,” says minister for environment Ingrid Stitt.
“This single-use plastics ban is a crucial step to protect Victoria’s rivers, waterways and oceans from plastic pollution.”
The Government plans to use measures like this to help divert 80 percent of waste from landfill by 2030.
For more information and resources regarding the ban, head to the Victorian Government website.
