Western Australia’s ban on single-use plastics for coffee cups, plastic bags and takeaway containers explained

Over the weekend, Governor Mark McGowan said that starting from the end of this year, Western Australia will ban all items, including plastic straws, cups, plates and cutlery.
More items will follow, and by the end of next year, all kinds of disposable plastics will be banned.
The ban on take-out coffee cups applies to cups and lids that are only for single use, especially those with plastic linings.
The good news is that there are already fully biodegradable take-out coffee cups in use, and these are the coffee cups that your local coffee shop will use instead.
This means that even if you forget the Keep Cup-or don’t want to take it with you-you can still get caffeine.
These changes will take effect at the end of next year and will make Western Australia the first state in Australia to phase out disposable coffee cups.
Suppose you don’t want to walk to the takeaway store with your own pottery to save the planet, then you can still use the container to get takeaway.
It’s just that those containers will no longer be the polystyrene varieties that go directly to the landfill.
It will be banned from the end of this year, and hard plastic takeaway containers are also being considered for phasing out.
The government wants food delivery suppliers to switch to a long-established technology that has been used in pizzerias for decades.
A working group has been set up to determine who needs to be exempt from the ban. These people are likely to be people in aged care, disability care, and hospital settings.
Therefore, if you really need to use a plastic straw to maintain your quality of life, you can still get one.
It’s hard to believe now, but it’s only three years since supermarkets eliminated disposable plastic bags.
It is worth remembering that as early as 2018 when the initial phase-out was announced, certain departments of the community issued strong protests.
Now, bringing reusable bags to the supermarket has become second nature for most of us, and the government hopes to achieve similar results through further measures.
You have to find some new decorations for that gender reveal party or child’s birthday, because helium balloon releases are on the banned list starting from the end of the year.
The government is also concerned about plastic packaging, including pre-packaged fruits and vegetables.
Although there is no indication that these will be banned, it is discussing with industry and research experts what measures can be taken to reduce their use.
We have all seen these heartbreaking images, which show the harm this has caused to marine life, not to mention the pollution of beaches and waterways.
We recognize that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are the first Australians and traditional guardians of the land where we live, study and work.
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Post time: Jun-17-2021