The ban on single-use plastic bags that began on 1 June will be expanded from 1 November to include items such as plastic straws, cutlery and certain hair and face products.
Minister for Environment James Griffin said the NSW plastic bans were just the “beginning of our massive shift away from single-use plastic”.
Items that businesses will be banned from supplying from today include single-use plastic cutlery, stirrers, straws, plates and bowls, expanded polystyrene (EPS) food service items (including EPS clamshells, cups, plates and bowls), single-use plastic cotton buds, and certain rinse-off personal care products containing plastic microbeads, including face and body cleansers, exfoliants, masks, shampoo, conditioner, hair dyes, and toothpaste.
Retail and hospitality businesses must abide by the new bans, including restaurants, cafes, bars and hotels.
Charities and individuals undertaking an activity for sporting, education or community purposes must also follow the new rules.
Businesses can supply plastic straws upon request to people with a disability or medical need.
Single-use plastic bowls designed or intended to have a spill-proof lid and serving utensils or serving ware, such as tongs and platters, are also exempt.
The exemptions also extend to pre-packaged items that are integrated into the packaging of a food or beverage product through a machine-automated process, such as straws attached to a juice box.
Lightweight plastic bags were banned across the state on 1 June 2022, with retailers caught supplying these bags risking a fine of up to $275,000.
If caught defying the new bans, businesses could cop an on-the-spot fine of $2,750 or up to $11,000 in penalties for individual suppliers, including sole traders.
A maximum $55,000 penalty is possible for corporations and $110,000 for manufacturers, wholesalers and distributors.
To help educate the 20,000 small businesses in NSW adjust to the new changes, a new campaign was launched last week, delivered by the Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO), the National Retail Association (NRA), the Australian Institute of Packaging (AIP) and the Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC) about the Australasian Recycling Label (ARL).
The ARL is an on-pack label that provides easy-to-understand instructions to consumers about how to correctly dispose of all parts of a product’s packaging. The education campaign is the first part of a series of initiatives under the SME ARL Program to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) adopt the ARL on their packaging.
Through the campaign, SMEs will receive access to a range of free educational tools, resources and events designed to cut through confusion and empower them to take action to improve the sustainability of their packaging. Topics explored in the campaign include sustainable packaging options, the benefits of using the ARL for businesses, consumers and the environment, and important steps organisations can take to reach the 2025 National Packaging Targets.
A series of free online training topics will also be available, developed by the AIP, Australia’s peak packaging training and education body. The training modules, along with a range of other action guides, fact sheets and toolkits, will be housed on a new dedicated educational website — the ARL Marketplace — a one-stop-shop for resources and information about the ARL and sustainable packaging. Over the next two years, the SME ARL Program will deliver streamlined processes and tools to make it easier for SMEs to assess the recyclability of their packaging and apply the ARL.
Chris Foley, chief executive at APCO (campaign lead organisation), said that through this campaign, they are excited to provide the tools and resources Australia’s small businesses need to start improving the sustainability of their packaging today.
“These organisations play an important role in the Australian business community,” he said. “By helping them get the ARL on-pack and start working towards the 2025 National Packaging Targets, this campaign can provide a powerful step forward in Australia’s collective journey towards a more sustainable and circular packaging future.”
The project received grant funding from the Australian government to support SMEs in improving the sustainability of their packaging and adopting the ARL on their packaging.
