Single use plastics ban
From 1 February 2023, the sale and supply of single-use plastic items is banned in Victoria. These items include:
- Drinking straws.
- Cutlery (including knives, forks, spoons, chopsticks, sporks, splades, food picks).
- Plates.
- Drink-stirrers and sticks.
- Expanded polystyrene food service items and drink containers, including expanded polystyrene plates, cups, bowls, clam shells and any cover or lid that is also made from expanded polystyrene.
- Cotton bud sticks.
The ban includes plastic items made from conventional, degradable and compostable materials, including bioplastics.
For more information, please click here.
Why has the ban been implemented?
Reducing plastic pollution is a key pillar of Victoria’s circular economy plan, Recycling Victoria: A new economy. Under this plan, problematic single-use plastics were banned across Victoria on 1 February 2023.
Many single-use plastic items are difficult and economically nonviable to recycle. Often, they end up contaminating our recycling. They can often be easily avoided or replaced with reusable products.
By banning problematic single-use plastics, we will reduce plastic pollution.
Single-use plastics:
- Make up a third of the litter we see in our environment.
- Are difficult and costly to clean up.
- Are often used for only a few minutes but remain in the environment for a long time.
- Pollute the environment, harming wildlife and contaminating our food and water.
Support and resources for businesses
The use of reusable containers is legal and an easy, affordable and sustainable solution businesses can adopt to manage the single-use plastic ban.
You can learn about the benefits of accepting reusables at your business by clicking here.
Free posters
Sustainability Victoria has developed free posters to help communicate the ban to your customers. To download these posters, please click here.