More plastic bags banned from September 1 in new phase of SA crackdown

The grace period is over for a whole new range of now banned plastic bags and other everyday products. Vote in our poll and have your say.

Single-use items such as beverage and food containers are now officially banned across South Australia.

The state government announced from September 1, single-use plastic items including hot and cold beverage containers, food containers for ready-to-eat take away food, food bag tags, confetti, balloon sticks and ties will be banned.

Expanded polystyrene takeaway containers, plastic barrier bags, thick supermarket or boutique-style plastic bags and single style takeaway bags will also be banned.

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All of these items must instead be replaced with compostable or reusable alternatives.

There will be no grace period with those caught selling, supplying or distributing banned items now facing penalties between $315 to $20,000.

It follows a series of banned plastic items including straws, under the legislation Single-use and Other Plastic Products (Waste Avoidance) Act 2020, to phase out single-use plastics by next year, in a bid to reduce pollution, cut carbon emissions and protect marine life.

Single-use items like takeaway coffee cups have been added to the list of banned items in SA.

From September 1, 2025, plastic fruit stickers, plastic soy sauce fish and pre-packaged products will no longer be sold, supplied or distributed in the state.

Compostable Alternatives co-founder Marion who makes compostable coffee cups and containers welcomed the ban.

“In Australia, we use 1.8 billion single-use, coffee cups each year. and most of them are lined with a plastic lining on the inside that makes them weatherproof,” she said.

“Those cups can not be recycled. And, they are big contaminants in the recycling centres and composting facilities.”