Single use plastic ban

Transitioning your business to a circular economy — ​single-use plastics ban  

By February 2023, single-use plastic drinking straws, cutlery, plates, drink stirrers and cotton bud sticks made from conventional, degradable and compostable materials, including bioplastic and oxo-degradable materials, are proposed to be banned from sale or supply in Victoria. The ban will also apply to food and drink containers made from expanded polystyrene.   

Find out more about the ban at Sustainability Victoria.  

How should your business prepare for the single-use plastic ban?   

• Stop ordering banned items now.   
• Do a stocktake and work out how long it will take to exhaust your banned items.  
• Speak to your supplier if you have large amounts of stock. They may accept returns or exchanges.  
• Transfer excess stock to another state (however be aware of similar bans in other states).  

Contact a local recycler to see if they can take some items if you cannot exhaust, return, exchange or transfer your stock in time.  

What can you do with your excess single-use plastic after the Wednesday 1 February? 

• First, talk with your supplier and see if they can take it back from you. 
• Visit Planet Ark’s website and put in what you want to recycle and find the nearest business who will take it from you.  
• Give them to someone who can use them — person, community organisation, kindergarten or art groups such as Reverse Art Truck. 
• If you need more help, check the Victorian Government's single-use plastics FAQ section or contact the National Retail Association helpline on 1800 738 245. 

Questions to ask your supplier  

• Do these items comply with the Victorian plastics ban that comes into effect in 2023?   
• Can you confirm that they do not contain any form of polymer, plastic, or compostable plastic?   
• Are my plastic shopping bags more than 35 microns in thickness at all parts of the bag?   
• If your supplier cannot answer yes to all questions, the items may be banned in 2023.   

Note: alternatives to EPS containers or cups can be made from other forms of plastic.  

Inform your team and customers  

• Prepare your staff for customer questions about the ban and inform them of the changes you have decided to make.    
• Inform your customers of the ban and prepare them for the changes you will implement. We recommend businesses display signage well ahead of the ban, so customers have time to adjust.   

For more frequently asked questions on the single-use plastic ban, visit Engage Victoria   

Alternatives to single-use plastic items 

Avoid single-use items where you can and choose reusables such as:   

• Straws — save costs by avoiding straws altogether, or only provide them on request. Alternatively explore reusable options such as metal or silicone.  
• Cutlery — save costs by not providing cutlery or only provide on request, including for food delivery customers. Encourage customers to bring their own reusable cutlery when they get takeaway and provide reusable cutlery for dine in customers.  
• Plates — avoid single-use and use reusable plates.  
• Drink stirrers — save costs and avoid drink stirrers altogether or provide only on request. Reusable alternatives include teaspoons or metal sticks. 
• EPS food and drink containers — encourage customers to bring their own reusable container for takeaway. Alternatively consider a returnable container system for takeaway containers. If you cannot avoid or use reusable items, then choose non-plastic materials such as Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified paper, wood or bamboo. 

Reusable alternative resources and platforms to consider  

What can businesses do? 

Add your business to the BYO Containers platform to inform the community your business accepts reusable containers.  

Register your business on the Responsible Cafes website to be awarded a ‘Responsible Bean Rating’ and promoted on their website.   

Use Sustainability Victoria’s Buy Recycled directory to find products containing recycled materials.  

Promote reusable alternatives in your business by using these posters from Sustainability Victoria. 

Downloadable posters for businesses in Glen Eira

Download these posters to promote reusable alternatives by displaying in your shop, café or restaurant. 

We welcome reusable bags A4 Poster (PDF, 437KB) 

We accept reusable containers A4 Poster (PDF, 437KB) 

We accept reusable cups A4 Poster (PDF, 437KB) 

We welcome reusable cups, bags and containers A4 Poster (PDF, 440KB) 

We also have printed reusable coffee cup A5 signs available for display, please contact sustainablebusiness@gleneira.vic.gov.au to get one for your business.