The Boomerang Alliance of 56 NGOs has welcomed the release of a public discussion paper (Turning the Tide on Single Use Plastics 2021) on more plastic items that should be banned in South Australia.

In an historic decision, the Queensland Parliament unanimously passed the Waste Reduction and Recycling (Plastic Items) Amendment Bill 2020 today to ban certain single use plastics from use.

‘From 1 September 2021 plastic straws, stirrers, cutlery, plates and bowls and expanded polystyrene cups and containers will be banned,’ said Toby Hutcheon from the Boomerang Alliance

‘These are amongst the most littered items in Queensland with the most recent Clean Up Australia Report for QLD estimating that over 30% of all litter collected was plastic packaging.’

‘Queensland is the second State in Australia to introduce laws to ban single-use plastics. We congratulate the State Government on introducing this bill.’

‘We also acknowledge the LNP and the Greens who have actively supported the legislation. The bans are supported by all the major hospitality and retail industry sectors and APCO who represent the beverage and packaging sector. ‘

Major fast food and retail chains have already stopped or are about to stop supplying these items as part of the global push to reduce marine plastic pollution.

The Boomerang Alliance Plastic Free Places program, which has been active in Noosa, Cairns and Townsville, has demonstrated that cafes and events are willing and able to switch to non-plastic or reusable or certified compostable alternatives.

A 2019 IPSOS poll found that 69% of Australians supported a ban on single-use plastics. 94% of submissions about the new laws in QLD supported a ban.

The Queensland Government intends to add other plastic items such as coffee cups/lids, other plastic takeaway items and heavyweight plastic bags after further investigation.

The Commonwealth National Plastics Plan is a substantial effort with some new stand out actions, the Boomerang Alliance of 53 NGO said today.

“Significant new moves include the banning of polystyrene packaging around white goods by July 2022; microfibre filters on new washing machines; and joining the push for a global agreement to remove plastic pollution from the environment,’’ said Jeff Angel, Director of the Alliance.

“The Commonwealth also plans to ban polystyrene food and beverage containers by December 2022, ahead of most state schedules.’’

‘’The Boomerang Alliance welcomes support for a Plastic Free Beaches program based on our successful Plastic Free Places program which has already eliminated over 7 million plastic items through encouraging practice change in cafes.  It’s a key transitional program accompanying state bans on single use items like straws, foodware and cups.’’ 

‘’With only 13% of plastic recycled, we dump most of the 2.5m tonnes used each year into landfill or the oceans.  To ensure that 100% of packaging is reusable, compostable or recyclable by the 2025 target and achieve 50% recycled content in plastic packaging means government has to keep the pressure up on industry. Labels saying something is recyclable are meaningless if that does not happen in practice.  We believe regulation will be necessary.’’

‘’Cigarette Butts are the most littered item in Australia. The announced taskforce has to find solutions, including a proposal to remove butts from cigarettes.’’

The Western Australian Government released its Plan for Plastics yesterday. The plan sets out the government's plastics reduction plans for the 2020-26 period. More immediate plans include the phase-out of identified single use plastics and other SUPs in the medium term (see below). A key identified initiative is a Plastic Free Places program to be introduced in 2021.

In this Queensland election: Which party has the best policies on Plastics and Waste?

Using Your BYO coffee cup or container to your local cafe is quite safe

Just ask the cafe to follow these instructions.

In October 2019, Glen Eira City Council in Victoria engaged The Boomerang Alliance to conduct a single-use plastic reduction trial as part of our Plastic Free Places program. The trial 'Plastic Free Elsternwick', recently finished up, and over the past 6 months, 18 participating businesses eliminated over 25,000 pieces of single-use plastic! 

During the trial, participating businesses aimed to eliminate identified single-use plastic items such as coffee cups, takeaway containers and straws.

Boomerang Alliance staff spent a week in the community in early October working with each business, followed up by regular communication and visits to keep them on track and assist them as needed. Glen Eira City Council provided social media and media support, as well as incentives to encourage participation and behaviour change. 

The trial was successful, with over 25,446 pieces of plastic eliminated during the six-month period (not including plastic bags due to the Victorian bag ban coming onto effect). This is only the start of the plastic savings the program will see over time. 

Notable results include:

• Five businesses have eliminated plastic straws, 2 eliminated plastic cutlery, 3 eliminated plastic coffee cups & lids, 3 eliminated cups & lids, and 4 eliminated plastic takeaway containers and lids.
• One businesses started composting their food and packaging waste, and 3 businesses are using 'swap & go' reusable network 'Returnr.'
• Most businesses are displaying educational signage about the trial and signage to encourage their customers to reduce plastic use. 

Find out more and see our outcomes report at www.plasticfreeplaces.org/elsternwick

Today we welcome the tabling of South Australia's 'Single-use and Other Plastic Products (Waste Avoidance) Bill 2020', which prohibits the sale, supply and distribution of certain single-use plastic products and establishes a framework for adding other products in the future. Plastics currently included in the bill are straws, stirrers and cutlery as well as polystyrene cups, bowls and containers, and all oxo-biodegradable products. 

‘Other states and territories can now follow the South Australian example. Both the ACT and Queensland plan similar legislation, and NSW are currently seeking public views on a plastics ban. Victoria is yet to move, ’ said Jeff Angel, Director of the Alliance.

‘Once again, South Australia is the first state or territory in Australia to act on a serious litter problem. We expect to see a noticeable reduction in plastic litter and waste and less plastic pollution of the ocean as a result.’

These banned items (along with coffee cups and lids, other cups and heavyweight plastic bags) are amongst the most littered items found in South Australia, and they all have a better alternative. ‘

Switching away from single use plastic takeaway is overwhelmingly supported in the community. A recent IPSOS International poll in 2019 (Throwaway World) found that 69% of Australians favoured a ban on single-use plastics, and as soon as possible.

'As our Plastic Free Places program is demonstrating, cafes and food outlets want to do the right thing and are able to switch away from these single use plastics. For instance, our analysis shows that simply removing straws from the counter reduces use by over 80%.’

The bill is available to download HERE

We welcome the announcement today (November 7, 2019) by the Queensland Government on a new Plastic Pollution Reduction Plan, which includes legislation next year (subject to consultation) to ban the supply of plastic products including plastic straws, cutlery, plates and stirrers, possibly extending to include coffee cups, plastic cups and heavy-weight shopping bags. The plan also includes further investment on plastic recovery and recycling.

Our Plastic Free Places Program features in the plan, with the Government proposing to partner with us to expand the program to further communities across Queensland, and to promote and deliver it nationally based on knowledge and experience gained in our pilot community Plastic Free Noosa.

This announcement comes ahead of the national Meeting of Environment Ministers (MEM) taking place on November 8 in Adelaide. Plastic reduction will be a hot topic on the agenda, with both South Australia and Queensland preparing legislation on single-use plastic take-aways. We hope other jurisdictions will follow suit!

Click here to access the full plan. 

Our official Media Release can be found here.

Queensland Steps Up on Phase-out of Single-Use Plastics

The Boomerang Alliance today welcomed the Queensland Government’s Plastic Pollution Reduction Strategy which includes a proposed ban on  single-use takeaway plastics. These are the takeaway plastic items commonly found littered in Queensland, including plastic straws, stirrers, plates, cutlery, coffee cups and heavyweight plastic bags.

‘Queensland, once one of the most littered states in Australia and is acting with determination to address its plastic pollution problems, building on the plastic bag ban and popular container deposit scheme.’  said Toby Hutcheon, QLD Manager of the Boomerang Alliance, which represents 49 community organisations concerned with waste and plastic pollution.

‘Now Queensland and South Australia are preparing legislation on single-use plastic take-aways -  we encourage other jurisdictions to follow suit,’

‘With the national Meeting of Environment Ministers (MEM) taking place tomorrow (8 November) in Adelaide - there is a perfect opportunity for a joint attack on plastic pollution.’

The Queensland Government intends to introduce enabling legislation in 2020 (subject to a regulatory impact statement) to ban the supply of straws, stirrers, plates and cutlery and, following further analysis, coffee and other cups and heavyweight plastic bags.

‘Boomerang Alliance is calling on the government to ensure that the proposed ban on all these identified products is enacted in the next 12 months to avoid more plastic waste and more littering of the environment.’

‘Our Plastic Free Places program which helps cafes, markets, events and festivals transition to the preferred  reusable or 100% compostable alternatives is proof these products are readily available and acceptable to consumers and business,’ said Hutcheon.

Queensland Government research shows that 7 out of 10 Queenslanders are taking steps to reduce their plastic use when away from home.

‘The public dislike excessive plastic packaging and plastic litter. They are looking for solutions. This Queensland Government ban, supported by the food and hospitality sector, will make the difference the public are looking for.’

‘Single-use takeaway plastic items are the second most common litter type after cigarette butts. The latest Clean Up Australia Rubbish report for Queensland found that 36% of  litter collected was takeaway packaging.

The Plastic Free Places program,  with funding support from the Queensland Government, is demonstrating that the hospitality sector wants to do the right thing and be part of the solution to plastic waste and litter.

The Plastic Free Noosa project, one of five current projects operating in Australia, has over 200 member businesses and has eliminated or replaced over 3 million single use plastic items. This includes over 1 million straws, 280,000 coffee cups, over 750,000 containers and cups and 260,000 pieces of plastic cutlery. All this in one place in under 18 months.

The Plastic Free Places program will be expanded into Townsville and Cairns in 2020.

The Boomerang Alliance, in partnership with the Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO) plans to expand the program across Australia and make it accessible to all interested communities.

It’s official! The Town of Bassendean in Perth is going plastic free, after the public launch of Boomerang Alliance’s Plastic Free Places program this week under the banner WA Plastic Free.

Bassendean’s revitalised Old Perth Road precinct was abuzz as local business owners gathered at O₂Café to learn more about the project and how they can get involved.  The program works with local food retailers, markets and events to eliminate single-use plastic and, appropriately, the whole thing got underway at O2, Bassendean’s first café to be declared a ‘Plastic-Free Champion.’

WA Plastic Free makes Bassendean WA’s first community under the Plastic Free Places program to make the shift away from single-use plastics, under the guidance of the Boomerang Alliance and with funding support by the WA Waste Authority. The program’s pilot community Noosa, in Queensland, eliminated more than 2 million pieces of single-use plastic in its first year.

WA Plastic Free Project Coordinator Amy Matheson said ‘‘Our project aims to eliminate or replace key plastic items that are commonly found in the litter stream - water bottles, straws, coffee/cups & lids, takeaway containers, foodware (cutlery, cups, plates) and plastic bags” Ms Matheson explained. “All of these items have readily available reusable or compostable alternatives. It’s our job to work with businesses and events, show them the alternatives and help them to make the switch. Once they’ve removed those key items, we declare them ‘Plastic Free Champions’ and they can enjoy all the benefits that come with that”.

After much work behind the scenes at the end of 2018, the project is in full swing and will continue to expand over the coming months. Currently, the program is centred in Bassendean, with the hope of expanding into other surrounding areas.

“The Plastic Free Places program is really unique,”said Jayne Paramor, Deputy Director of the Boomerang Alliance. “We do a lot of work behind-the-scenes to make it easy for businesses to make the switch. We work with Council, suppliers, manufacturers, composters and waste transport operators to deliver effective solutions. Bassendean is the fourth community we are working with and we look forward to achieving some exciting results.”

To find out more, head to the website www.waplasticfree.org

Be a part of a broad and diverse coalition fighting for Cash for Containers around Australia. 

Hundreds of community groups, charities and non-profit organisations around Australia have already added their name to the Cash for Containers campaign. Sign on today to endorse the Cash for Containers campaign and help make Australia litter free. 

Whether you're a local neighbourhood group, major environmental NGO, student organisation, small business or something else, we'd love to have your support. 

We support Boomerang Alliance's Cash for Containers model.

A 10-cent refundable container deposit system will slash the amount of litter polluting our parks, streets, rivers and ocean. It will create new jobs in recycling and provide valuable sources of income for charities, community groups and individuals interested in collecting cans and bottles.

Our Cash for Containers model is based on the best examples in the world and has big benefits for the entire community, economy and environment. Read more about our model here and the benefits for your organisation here.

If your organisation is on board, add your name today. 

Individuals please click here to sign the petition calling for a Cash for Containers commitment. 

In July 2017 Environment Ministers are meeting to discuss what to do about plastic bags.

Tasmania, the ACT, The Northern Territory and South Australia have already banned single use plastic bags and Queensland is introducing a ban in July 2018.

We're making sure when they meet that the NSW, Victorian and WA Ministers know there is huge community support for taking action on plastic bags. We've joined with 49 community and environment groups, representing thousands of members, to write an open letter demanding greater action. Add your name to the open letter today to let the ministers know you support a ban on plastic bags.  

There is increasing evidence that even though a small percentage of bags are littered and then broken up into smaller and smaller pieces – they have a devastating impact on the environment. This includes so called ‘biodegradable’ bags, which are just as dangerous in the marine environment.

With the CSIRO Marine Debris Report 2014 estimating there are over 124 billion individual pieces of visible plastic littering the Australian coastline – and a large legacy of plastic from previous years becoming microplastic – action needs to be taken on multiple fronts.

Plastic pollution is a major threat to wildlife. Globally it is estimated that 1 million sea birds and over 100,000 mammals die every year as a result of plastic ingestion or entanglement. Of great concern are the secondary microplastics derived from broken up bags and bottles.

We estimate that some 180 million bags enter the Australian environment every year.

Read the full letter and our policy recommendations here

Thanks to our partners who joined the open letter.