NSW Calls for Ban on Single-Use Plastic Bags Soon

Lightweight single-use plastic bags will be banned in NSW next week, along with a slew of other disposable items, to prevent billions of pieces of plastic waste from entering the environment over the next 20 years.

The ban, which takes effect on June 1, is the first stage in a plan to rid the state of many single-use plastic items and packaging, which account for 60% of all trash in New South Wales (NSW), according to Environment Minister James Griffin.

He said, "I think all of us can see the impact plastic pollution is having on our environment."

From June 1 onwards, the ban on lightweight single-use bags will come into effect, followed by a ban on more troublesome plastics, including cutlery and plates, from November.

He said, "Single-use plastic is used by many of us for just a few convenient minutes, but it remains in our environment for many years, eventually breaking into microplastics. Stopping the supply of plastic would help prevent it from becoming litter or going into landfills."

In November, the NSW government passed the Plastic Reduction and Circular Economy Act 2021, and the Plastics Action Plan was launched the previous year.

Over the next 20 years, the prohibition will save nearly 2.7 billion pieces of plastic garbage from entering the ecosystem in New South Wales.

Source: 7NEWS