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Illawarra Shoalhaven

Single-use Plastic ban

While plastic is a versatile and useful material, it is increasingly threatening our natural environment.  Single-use plastics items, designed to be used once and then thrown away, are cheap and convenient but they pose an enormous threat to our environment and wildlife.

About 95% of the litter on beaches and in waterways comes from suburban streets with plastic packaging and single-use plastic items making up about two thirds of all litter.  The amount of plastic in our oceans is predicted to outweigh the number of fish by 2050, so the NSW Government’s single-use plastic bans are an important call to action.  These bans which commenced on 1 June 2022 with lightweight plastic bags will prevent nearly 2.7 billion plastic items from entering the environment over the next 20 years.

From 1 November 2022, the NSW Government is also banning:

  • Plastic straws, stirrers, cutlery, plates, bowls and cotton buds
  • Food ware and cups made from expanded polystyrene
  • Rinse-off personal care products containing plastic microbeads.

For more information, you can also visit https://dpe.mysocialpinpoint.com.au/plastics-ban-nsw

Supported by the NSW EPA, ‘Take 3 for the Sea’ has developed a couple of videos to assist business owners and the community to understand and support these changes. 

Hospitality Business and Community videos. An EPA flyer is available to download here.