Woolworths has revealed it will remove a popular item from store shelves this week, saying “it’s the right thing to do”.
The NSW parliament has passed a ban on single-use plastic items in what has been labelled a “game-changer” in the fight against waste.
Lightweight plastic bags will be banned in NSW from June 1, 2022 and other plastic items such as straws, cutlery and cotton buds will be prohibited from November 1, 2022.
Meanwhile Woolworths will announce on Wednesday plastic cutlery and picnicware will be gone from store shelves from this week, a move the grocery giant claims will eliminate 2.1 million kilograms of plastic per year.
“Removing these products will not only cut plastic in landfill, but is the right thing to do for the health of our oceans and waterways where these items can unfortunately end up,” a Woolworths spokeswoman said.
Tuesday’s parliament vote means several other types of plastic will be prohibited as well, including stirrers, plates and bowls.
Food packaging made from expanded polystyrene and plastic microbeads used in cosmetic products will also be prohibited from November next year.
“This legislation is expected to stop 2.7 billion single-use items from ending up in our natural environment and waterways over the next 20 years, and is a game-changer in the fight against plastic waste across our state,” Environment Minister Matt Kean said.
“Only 10 per cent of plastics in NSW are recycled, with the rest ending up in landfill, or worse, littering our streets, dumped in our parks and washing up in our waterways.”
Mr Kean’s office said 60 per cent of all litter in NSW is made up from plastic packaging and other single-use plastic items.
The Minister said the plastics fight would be backed up by a $365 million war chest to be spent over the next five years.
That money will in part be used to help businesses transition to products made from other materials before the ban begins.
The National Retail Association says all other Australian states and territories already have bans on lightweight plastic bags.
South Australia was the first to introduce such a ban in 2009.
“Phasing out plastic bags will be relatively easy, but the next stage will be a bit more challenging for some,” NRA policy manager Ebony Johnson said.
“We need NSW consumers to get ready for paper straws and wooden cutlery.”
The organisation, which has been hired by the state government to educate businesses on the changes, will do an education blitz next year and go door to door to talk to store owners about how to transition from plastic.
As for Woolworths, the supermarket chain said it would sell picnicware made out of sugarcane pulp, paper and wood instead of plastic.
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