Western Australia’s Plan for Plastics – How this affects your business!
To reduce plastic pollution, the Western Australian Government has been implementing a phased in state-wide ban on certain single-use plastic items since 2021.
Who does the ban apply to?
Theses bans apply to anyone who supplies these items in WA, regardless of whether items are provided free or sold.
This includes
- retail or hospitality businesses
- manufacturers, suppliers, distributors and wholesalers
- community groups and not‑for‑profits
Stage 1 regulations implemented in 2022 ban the following single-use or disposable plastic items:
- plates
- unlidded bowls
- unlidded takeaway food containers
- unlidded cups for cold beverages
- cutlery
- drink stirrers
- drinking straws
- thick plastic shopping bags
- expanded polystyrene (EPS) takeaway food containers
- helium balloon releases
Stage 2 – February 2023 – July 2025
Stage 2 includes a second set of single-use or disposable plastic items and materials that will be phased out by 1 July 2025. The Stage 2 regulations ban the sale and supply of:
- loose and moulded expanded polystyrene packaging
- degradable plastics (plastics designed to break up more rapidly into fragments under certain conditions)
- plastic produce bags
- expanded polystyrene cups and food trays for raw meat and seafood
- coffee cups and lids
- lids for cups, bowls, trays, plates and takeaway food containers
- trays for food not covered in the Stage 1 ban
- cotton buds with plastic stems
- microbeads
For more info on WA's Plan for Plastics
What support is there for businesses?
The National Retail Association has been engaged by the WA Government to provide a range of free services to assist businesses understand, prepare for, transition, and manage these bans.
