Blog Post by Brittnee Stivey

In recent years, Australian states and territories have taken varied measures to reduce plastic waste in the environment. Many have introduced bans on different types of single-use plastics such as single-use plastic bags, coffee cups and lids, Styrofoam cups and takeaway boxes, cutlery, straws, and microbeads. As there is currently no national plan to put a blanket ban on these products, each state and territory is at different stages in implementing their bans, with some being more proactive than others. As we know, plastic and plastic waste is an issue for human and environmental health, and banning certain products is a positive first step towards tackling the problem. Let’s take a closer look at the issue of single-use plastic around the country!

It is estimated that Australians use around 130kg of single-use plastic per person every year. According to Sustainability Victoria, this includes almost 1 billion disposable coffee cups, 10 million plastic bags, 3.5 billion plastic straws, and 15 million plastic bottles per year. However, there are many other different types of single-use plastics including cotton buds, facemasks, food cutlery and containers, plastic food wrapping, and balloons. Unfortunately, many of these single-use plastic items are used for only minutes before becoming waste. For example, it is estimated a plastic straw is used for an average of 15-30 minutes before being disposed of! It is interesting to think about how long (or how little) we use other single-use plastics before it becomes plastic waste.

Unfortunately, only around 12% of that plastic waste is recycled. In the 2018-2019 financial year, 2.5 million tonnes of plastic waste were generated Australia-wide, with only 9% being sent for recycling. In the 2019-2020 financial year, Victoria generated just under 800,000 tonnes of plastic waste, of which only 147,000 tonnes were recovered for reprocessing. According to the Victorian Government’s waste projection model, plastic waste is predicted to increase to 1.1 million tonnes per year by 2050. To make matters worse, roughly 130,000 tonnes of single-use plastic waste end up in our oceans every year, where it poses a significant risk to the lives and health of marine life and habitats. Not to mention that plastic waste in the ocean is predicted to outnumber all the fish (by weight) in the oceans by 2050.

Over the past three years, Australian state governments have begun to show initiative and introduce single-use plastic bans to try and tackle it at the source. Items such as plastic bags, plastic straws, and plastic cutlery have been banned in most states. Each state has also implemented bans on other single-use plastic items to varying degrees, or they plan to sometime in the future. The Australian Marine Conservation Society has created a handy ‘report card’ to summarise, state by state, what single-use plastics have been banned or are planned to be phased out in the future Let’s break this down further!

As of May 2023, Western Australia is in the lead for most types of single-use plastic banned from use, with more bans proposed for later in the year and into 2024. Close behind are South Australia and Queensland, with the ACT, NSW and Victoria following suit. Sadly, Tasmania is currently lagging behind the rest of the country, having only banned lightweight plastic bags with no current plans to ban more single-use plastic products in the future. It is clear that a national agreement needs to be made to ensure single-use plastic waste is reduced across the country, however, at present there is no plan to do so.

These bans on single-use plastic are a good start to tackling the plastic waste issue, however, there is much more that needs to be done. Correct disposal of plastic items at the consumer level is another way to ensure plastic waste is recycled properly and not sent to landfill or making its way into our oceans. This has been made difficult by the collapse of REDcycle in November 2022, and the halting of soft plastics collection in supermarkets across the country. However, there are plans for a new soft plastics recycling program to begin launching in late 2023, with collection bins being reinstated at select supermarkets, and a nationwide rollout due to occur in 2024. For recycling in the meantime, each council has slightly different guidelines for waste disposal, so it’s important to check your local council’s website to ensure you’re disposing of your waste correctly.

It’s not all bad news! Overall, the total diversion of waste from landfill has steadily increased from 28.3% in 2002 to 46.3% in 2021 across Victoria. As recycling methods continue to improve, this number will likely continue to increase into the future. There are also small things you can do that can make a big difference! Sustainability Victoria has many resources available on their website encouraging people to dispose of their waste correctly, and even reduce their overall waste to keep single-use items from going to landfill. You can also check out some of MMF’s other plastic blogs below for extra inspiration.

Single-use plastic waste is one of the most pressing issues posing a threat to our health and our environment, and we are only just beginning to seriously address the plastic pollution crisis. However, awareness of this issue is increasing every day. With Australia’s current recycling rate at just 16%, and a national target of 70%, there is still a long way to go, but organisations like CSIRO are on a mission to reduce plastic waste entering the environment by 80% over the next seven years. It takes a concerted effort to tackle a problem this big, but these new changes being implemented are a small step towards a cleaner, greener, more circular future. Hopefully, we see a significant decrease in single-use plastic waste generated across the country as these bans come into effect over the next few years.

Check out our other blogs for more information about how plastics affect our local environments, and ways we can make a difference!

The Good, the Bad and the really Ugly of Plastics: Part 1

National Recycling Week: Microplastics

Beyond Plastic Free July

Ocean Plastic: Keep it Clean!

Busting Recycling Myths

Plastic Free July with the Marine Mammal Foundation

The Marine Mammal Foundation is a not-for-profit charity organisation, protecting the marine environment through research, community engagement and education. Please consider supporting us with a tax-deductible donation.