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.
It's an extensive list adding to the ban on plastic straws, stirrers and cutlery, soon to be expanded to polystyrene cups and containers and oxo-degradable products in March 2022. The Government is now seeking views on items including coffee cups and lids, plastic cups and lids, produce bags, bread tags, and confetti. There are plenty of alternatives on the market.
We believe all the listed problem plastic items should be banned and as soon as possible. They can be avoided, they can be replaced with reusable items or switched to non-plastic or certified compostable items. We need to stop the ever growing load of plastic pollution in our environment.
Our Plastic Free SA project in South Australia has demonstrated that cafes can switch. 112 café business in Adelaide are already involved in the program and have eliminated over 2.5 million single use plastic takeaway items.
Banning these items from use will mean most problem single-use takeaway plastics will be removed from the market. We expect litter rates to drop accordingly.
According to the latest Clean Up Australia Rubbish Report, 37% of rubbish collected was plastic, with single use packaging items being the majority.
