Single-use plastic items banned from 1 September 2021

All Queensland businesses and not-for-profit organisations will be required to stop supplying single-use plastic items including supermarkets, cafes, hotels and takeaway food shops.

Penalties may apply after 1 September 2021 for businesses and not-for-profit organisations that supply banned items or provide false or misleading information about banned items or their compostability.

Businesses and not-for-profit groups are encouraged to identify whether banned items still need to be provided to customers, and if so, how they can be replaced with plastic-free alternatives. If you have excess stock, you may also wish to contact your supplier to understand their returns policy. 

Single-use plastic items included in the ban:

• straws: regular straws, flexible straws, straws with a scoop, cocktail straws and bubble tea straws
• stirrers: hot or cold drink stirrers, swizzle sticks and hot or cold food stirrers
• plates and bowls including single-use expanded polystyrene plates
• cutlery: knives, forks, spoons, teaspoons, sample tasting spoons, soup spoons, chopsticks, splayds and sporks
• expanded polystyrene takeaway food containers and cups

Single-use plastic items not included in the ban:

• straws and cutlery attached to a shelf-ready, pre-packaged product like a juice box with an attached plastic straw or a yoghurt with an attached plastic spoon
• other single-use plastic takeaway food containers including sushi containers, triangle sandwich containers, food containers with a plastic window and bowls with lids
• serving platters and trays
• foam or plastic trays such as meat and packaged fruit and vegetable trays.

Queenslanders with disability or healthcare needs may still need to access banned items and that’s why the following businesses are exempt from the ban:

• clinics or facilities that provide care to persons with a disability or health needs
• hospitals
• dental clinics
• medical clinics
• pharmacies
• aged care facilities
• medical suppliers

Suppliers, distributors and wholesalers may continue to sell banned items to these exempt businesses.

There are plenty of things Queenslanders can do to reduce the use of single-use plastics and plastic waste. Some simple tips include:

• purchasing reusable products over disposable ones
• choosing products with less plastic packaging
• choosing products made from recycled materials
• recycling as many plastic products as you can through your kerbside recycling bin or outdoor recycling bins
• return your drink containers at a Containers for Change refund point
• remember ‘soft, scrunchable’ plastics don’t go in kerbside recycling bins but can be returned to REDcycle bins at participating supermarkets
• avoid unnecessary plastic products like balloons (including plastic clips and sticks), ribbons and tickertape.

Half of all plastic produced in the world is designed to be used only once and then thrown away. This is a huge contributor to the 300 million tonnes of plastic waste created every year, almost equivalent to the weight of the entire human population.  The Queensland Government is taking action to fight plastic waste and pollution, starting with the ban on single-use plastic items.

For further information visit the Queensland Government website.

Image: Single-use plastic items ban poster