A major milestone in the fight against single use plastics will be achieved tomorrow when lightweight plastic bags are officially banned in NSW.

NSW is the last remaining Australian jurisdiction to implement the ban with consumers encouraged to bring their own reusable bags to the shops or make use of the other sustainable options that retailers will have available. 

The change is part of the NSW Government’s phase out of single-use plastics, with more items including plastic cutlery, stirrers, straws, plates and bowls to be banned from 1 November 2022.

Australian Retailers Association CEO Paul Zahra said retailers have been aware of this change for some time, however it’s important that flexibility is given to small businesses as they make the adjustment.

“Addressing environmental challenges is a top priority for retailers and we fully support the ban on lightweight plastic bags given their unacceptable impact on the natural environment,” Mr Zahra said.

“Retailers have been preparing for this change and have made necessary arrangements to use more sustainable products, or recycled paper bags – however we remain concerned about some small businesses being caught out given many have been in survival mode over the past year.

“The NSW Government has announced a grace period for the first two weeks of the ban taking effect, which is welcomed for those in this category. Many small businesses are continuing to deal with the economic fallout from the lockdowns and are now dealing with inflationary pressures and the higher cost of doing business. We need to focus on educating any laggard businesses about the change.

“The ARA is committed to working with the state’s retail small businesses to ensure they abide by this change, and the ones to come from 1 November, when more single use plastic products are banned in the state.”

Media Enquiries: 

Dominic Cuschieri

M 0418 224 072 

E dominic.cuschieri@retail.org.au