New rules banning single-use plastics, including microbeads and polystyrene packing peanuts, will come into effect in parts of the country on Friday.
Queensland, Western Australia and South Australia will each apply bans, but what they cover will vary.
There’s no overarching laws or rules governing plastic bans in Australia, meaning states and territories set their own standards.
It also means rules and regulations about single-use plastics differ greatly between jurisdictions.
Some states, like Western Australia, have implemented multiple tranches of bans, while others like Tasmania have taken minimal action.
All three states will ban plastic cotton bud sticks.
Western Australia will additionally ban:
- Loose fill expanded polystyrene packaging (packing peanuts)
- Plastic microbeads
- Polystyrene cups and trays for raw meat and seafood and degradable plastics
Queensland will ban packing peanuts and microbeads as well as heavyweight plastic shopping bags. It will also prohibit the mass release of balloons, leaving NSW and the ACT as the only jurisdictions to still allow the practice.
South Australia will ban single-use bowls and plates and plastic pizza savers.
Each state offers exemptions for certain businesses like medical clinics and dental surgeries.
(ABC)
