Single-use plastic items made from expanded polystyrene are designed to be used once then discarded. Expanded polystyrene does not break down for hundreds of years and ends up in landfill or as litter where it fragments into smaller pieces and causes harm to the land and ocean environments.

Examples include:

• Loose-fill packaging materials.
• Expanded polystyrene trays used for supplying portions of fresh fruit, vegetables and/or meat products.
• Other single-use products made from expanded polystyrene.

• Lightweight, cheap and readily available.
• Provides excellent protection and insulation.

While polystyrene can be recycled industrially it is difficult to collect and process recycle at the household level and is not collected for recycling in the ACT or the region.

• Brown goods (e.g. electronics and appliances).
• White goods (e.g. fridges, freezers, washing machines).
• Other exemptions may be considered.

• Fibre based packaging.
• PET or PP plastic.
• Myco-composite and mycelium-based packaging.
• Genuine compostable alternatives that meet the Australian Standards AS 4736‑2006 (biodegradable plastics suitable for composting and other microbial treatment) or AS 5810-2010 (biodegradable plastics—biodegradable plastics suitable for home composting).