Western Australia (WA) has become the first state in the country to ban non-compostable coffee cups as part of its effort to step away from single-use plastics and lids.
The government estimated that the plan’s second stage will save an additional 700 million single-use items each year, with hot beverage cups accounting for more than 154 million of these items per annum.
Compostable paperboard cups, certified to Australian composting standards, are excluded from the ban, while lids must now be entirely plastic free.
Bans on several items, including microbeads and cotton bud sticks, came into effect in 2023, while sales of plastic produce bags and takeaway containers with lids will be prohibited from September.
The move came following extensive consultation with businesses, which the government said were supportive of the changes and already using environmentally friendly alternatives to single-use plastics.
Plan for Plastics, the government’s roadmap for a plastic-free WA, has already led to 430 million fewer single-use plastics going to landfill or litter annually in WA.
WA Energy Minister Reece Whitby said he was pleased to see the project come to life, creating jobs and enhancing the state’s economic development.
“This ban complements the bans on cotton buds with plastics shafts, degradable plastic and microbeads that have already been implemented in Western Australia,” he said.
“The state government will continue to work with retailers and the community to ensure that the changes are well understood and implemented successfully.”
On March 1, the state has also banned unlidded disposable plastic food trays, such as sushi trays and bento boxes.
Mr. Whitby said the bans will be implemented with “a common-sense, education-first approach.”
He also noted that cafes that have old stocks of compostable coffee cups would be able to trade them out, according to the ABC.
“It’s all about education,” he added.
“This is an excellent move for the environment because we know that plastic persists in the environment for decades and decades and decades.”
While South Australia has committed to removing the cups from sale in September, progress is slower in the more populous states, with New South Wales and Victoria among the jurisdictions yet to commit to a ban.
“Western Australia is ahead of the pack,” Mr. Whitby said.
“We are the leading state in transitioning away from single-use plastics.”
The ban came just in time for Clean Up Australia on March 3, which has spurred scores of volunteers to remove plastic coffee cups from parks and waterways since 1990.
During the 2023 financial year, the group’s volunteers cleaned up almost 13,000 takeaway coffee cups, lifting them into the top 10 most common items of rubbish found.
