Go Greener

New single use plastic bans in NSW from 1 November, 2022

According to the organisation Take 3 for the Sea, it is estimated more than 2.7 million plastic items end up in water ways across NSW each year. Single use plastic makes up 60% of this litter in our state. In June 2022 the NSW Government banned the is of plastic bags with handles and thickness of 35 microns or less. More legislation has been enacted to ban further single use plastics items from 1 November.

These items include:

• Single use plastic cutlery, straws, stirrers, and chopsticks
• Single use plastic plates and bowls
• Extruded polystyrene foodware, cups, plates, and clamshell containers
• Single use plastic cotton buds
• Microbeads in certain rinse off personal hygiene products

This ban applies to above single use plastic items even if they are made from compostable, biodegradable or bio plastics.

If you would like some suggestions on how you can swap these items with reusable ones Take 3 from the Sea have produced a video to help and inspire you.

Sue Zipfinger
Sustainability Coordinator