Victorian Government ban Single-use plastics
Plastic pollution harms our health, wildlife, and the environment
These problematic single-use plastics will be banned across Victoria from 1 February 2023.
Single-use plastic drinking straws, cutlery, plates, drink-stirrers, expanded polystyrene food and drink containers, and cotton bud sticks will be banned from sale or supply in Victoria from 1 February 2023.
This ban will reduce plastic pollution
Single-use plastics:
1. make up a third of the litter we see on our streets and in our waterways – they are difficult and costly to clean up
2. are often used for only a few minutes but remain in the environment for a long time
3. pollute the environment – harming wildlife and contaminating our food and water.
The Victorian Government is leading by example. As of 1 February 2022, the single-use plastic items that are to be banned statewide are no longer used by government departments and agencies across the Victorian public service.
Get ready for the ban now by avoiding single-use plastic items and choosing reusable alternatives instead.
How will the ban take effect?
The ban of specific single-use plastic items from sale or supply across Victoria will be enacted by regulations.
These draft regulations, as well as a Regulatory Impact Statement (RIS), have been released for public consultation.
Feedback on the draft Regulations and RIS will inform the final regulations to be released later this year. We want to make sure that Victorian businesses have has much time as possible to prepare ahead of the ban taking effect from February 2023.
What’s next?
While the ban will address many problematic single-use plastics items, there is more we can do to reduce plastic pollution and its impact on our environment. We’re working across government, with business and industry, to reduce plastic pollution and will continue to engage with Victorians as we do this.
Source: https://www.vic.gov.au/single-use-plastics
