It's no secret to anyone that our lives are drenched in a sickening abundance of plastic. With microplastics causing far too many severe ecological and health issues in Australia and around the world, it's clear that changes have to be made by corporations and authorities to alleviate the weight of the plastic burden on the individual consumer. In good news for all NSW-dwelling people who care about their health and the environment, the NSW Plastic Plan has just added to its long list of tiny plastic products that will be banned in the state from 2026 onwards.
Businesses across Sydney and NSW will have to phase out the use of plastic bread tags and plastic pizza savers (the little round prong that stops your toppings stick to your pizza box lid) from 2027, and from 2026, it will also continue the phasing out of the tiny little fish soy sauce bottles that, despite being cute, cause havoc to our ecosystems.
From 2026, NSW will also join our sibling states in banning the release of lighter than air helium balloons, plastic bags with handles, plastic umbrella bags and non-compostable plastic fruit and veggie stickers. Takeaway food boxes will have to be redesigned under the NSW Plastic Plan to ensure that they can be safely recycled, changing up their current toxic chemical formula.
While this presents a moment of transition and change for many local businesses, it is welcome news for all the weary individuals trying to make green choices in a market that often makes it feel impossible.
In a press conference about this plan, environment minister Penny Sharpe said that NSW collectively created 935,000 tonnes of plastic waste in 2024, with just 16 percent of this able to be recycled.
"Microplastics are entering our bodies and plastic is polluting our environment and oceans, killing our wildlife," she said, as reported by the ABC. "This plan moves NSW another step closer to phasing out these problematic items."