Meat, poultry and fish industries have been granted extra time to find an alternative to plastic

Butchers and fishmongers have been granted an extension on the state government’s ban on plastic shopping bags and barrier bags.

Butchers and fishmongers are breathing a sigh of relief after being notified of an exemption that will exclude them from the state government’s bans on plastic shopping bags and barrier bags for an additional year.

The changes which are set to come into play on September 1, will ban the use of all plastic barrier bags and shopping bags which are not Australian Standard certified compostable.

The restrictions come as part of the state government’s enaction of the Single-use and Other Plastic Products (Waste Avoidance) Act 2020 which has seen various single use items revoked over the past three years in an effort to avoid waste production.

Local butcher, David Armstrong from Goodwood Quality Meat, said he is “happy to move forward” with greener packaging, but will need to be provided with an appropriate alternative to plastic as current options are unable to cope with the moisture of meat and freezing temperatures.

“We are all for implementation of these biodegradable products; however, we just need some sort of answer or appropriate packaging before that happens,” Mr Armstrong said.

Store Manager and Master Butcher Paul Suleyman and Goodwood Quality Meats owner David Armstrong. Picture: Tricia Watkinson

According to the Replace the Waste website, the 12 month delay given to the meat, poultry, dairy and fish industry was granted after receiving feedback from “industry and businesses [who] have requested additional time to research and test Australian standard certified compostable bags”.

It has been found that not all biodegradable bags are appropriate for meat, poultry and fish products, so it is hoped that this delay will provide time for a viable alternative to be found.

Mr Armstrong said his business has tried to use both wax paper and biodegradable bags in their service, but have found that wax paper is only suitable for chops and steaks and compostable bags are unable to last more than seven days in the freezer.

“Within our industry we have been trying to move to paperless, recyclable and decomposable [materials] for some time … so if they’re going to implement new plans they need to have a sustainable option before they implement,” Mr Armstrong said.

Originally published as Meat, poultry and fish industries have been granted extra time to find an alternative to plastic