The ACT is one of the first Australian jurisdictions to pass laws to ban certain single-use plastics. The Plastic Reduction Act 2021 which came into effect 1 July 2021 bans the sale, supply or distribution of single-use plastic cutlery, plastic beverage stirrers and expanded polystyrene takeaway food and beverage containers.

On 14 October 2021, the Minister for Transport and City Services Chris Steel issued a public notice advising the start of a consultation period to inform the development of regulations to ban additional single-use plastic items.

From 1 July 2022, the ACT Government is proposing an additional ban on the following items:

• single-use plastic straws (with exemptions for those who need them)
• single-use plastic fruit and vegetable “barrier bags”
• cotton buds with plastic sticks
• all oxo-degradable plastic products such as degradable plastic bags and degradable dog waste bags. These have additives that enable the plastic to break down into tiny fragments (microplastics) which do not completely decompose and are harmful to the environment.

Businesses, community organisations and individuals are invited to respond to the public notice by providing feedback to the Minister between 14 October 2021 and 12 January 2022. Further information about the ACT's single-use plastics ban can be viewed in the Next Steps Policy 2021.

You can have your say about these four items by:

• Completing this survey
• Sending in a written submission:
  • email: singleuseplastics@act.gov.au - please use the subject title Single-use plastics: Tranche 2
  • mail to: Waste Policy, Transport Canberra and City Services Directorate, PO Box 158, Canberra ACT 2601.

The ACT Government thanks Canberra businesses and community groups for making this important transition away from single-use plastics and towards more sustainable alternatives.

Before making a submission, please review the YourSay privacy policy. Any personal information received in the course of your submission will be used only for the purposes of this community engagement process. Names of organisations may be included in any subsequent consultation report, but all individuals will be deidentified unless prior approval is gained.

On 1 July 2021, the ACT Government introduced the Plastic Reduction Act 2021 banning the sale, supply and distribution of:

• single-use plastic cutlery
• single-use plastic drink stirrers
• expanded polystyrene takeaway containers.

From 1 July 2022, the ACT Government is proposing an additional ban on the following items:

• single-use plastic straws (with exemptions for those who need them)
• single-use plastic fruit and vegetable “barrier bags”
• cotton buds with plastic sticks
• all oxo-degradable plastic products such as degradable plastic bags and degradable plastic tarps. These have additives that enable the plastic to break down into tiny fragments (microplastics) which do not completely decompose and are harmful to the environment.

We are looking for feedback from stakeholders on opportunities and challenges presented by the ban of these additional items. This will inform how the new restrictions are implemented and identify any exemptions that may be necessary.

To inform the next phase of the single-use plastics ban.