Get ready to ‘Stop it and Swap it’ on single-use plastics from 1 November

November 1 is fast approaching so it’s time to get your alternatives ready as the NSW Government prepares to ban certain single-use plastic items.

The banned items include single-use plastic straws, stirrers, cutlery, bowls and plates as well as expanded polystyrene food service items like cups and hamburger containers, single-use plastic cotton buds, and rinse-off personal care products containing plastic microbeads.

Council’s Environmental Education Officer Christina Reid said the latest single-use plastic bans are a big win for our environment.

“Single-use plastic items, which are designed to be used once then thrown away, are certainly convenient but they’re having a devastating effect on our environment,” Ms Reid said.

“There are so many great alternatives available now made from cardboard, paper, bamboo, wood, metal, enamel and of course regular crockery and glassware.

“It’s everyone’s responsibility to ‘Stop it and Swap it’.”

Single-use plastic items and packaging make up 60 per cent of all litter in NSW.

By ending the use of many single-use items we’ll stop an estimated 2.7 billion plastic items from polluting our lands and waterways over the next 20 years.

For ideas, resources and tips on how to prepare for the ban visit dpie.nsw.gov.au/plastics-ban

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