Update: WA’s Plan for Plastics

Posted on: June 4, 2024

Western Australia’s nation-leading Plan for Plastics is now in its third year.

GREAT Sorts have embraced the changes with enthusiasm, with almost 90% per cent of Western Australians surveyed said they supported action on single-use plastics. The plan includes regulations to ban single-use plastic items in a two-stage approach.

So far, the Plan for Plastics has seen items like single-use plastic straws, cutlery, bowls and plates, cotton buds with plastic shafts and microbeads taken out of circulation, with bans on produce bags and takeaway containers to come later in the year.

The most recent changes that came in to force in March banned not just non-compostable coffee cups, but also disposable plastic and plastic-lined cup lids for all hot and cold beverage cups.

Support for change

The transition has been supported since the beginning with targeted community education, retail and supplier engagement with the State Government partnering with the Boomerang Alliance, a not-for-profit organisation, to deliver a Plastic Free Places program.

The program engages with businesses, organisations and community groups within the food and hospitality sector to provide support and advice on avoiding single-use plastics and switching from single-use plastics to better alternatives.

Be inspired

Our cafes and other retailers have effectively demonstrated how easy it is to adapt with these bans and support a more sustainable WA.

Find out how Hank's Corner created a community around reusables.

This article on single-use plastics also featured in The West Australian’s Environment Day liftout on 5 June 2024, that can be viewed here on page 5.