Single-use Plastics Banned in South Australia | Update Sep 2025

Are you ready to Replace The Waste in South Australia?  The next stage of SA’s single-use plastic bans start on 1 September 2025.

South Australia was the first state in the country to begin the ban on single-use plastics. 

South Australians are committed to the environment and want action on single-use plastic products. By avoiding waste and shifting to reusable or recyclable options, we can ensure the best environmental outcome for our ‘clean and green’ state.  

South Australia’s Single-use and Other Plastic Products (Waste Avoidance) Act 2020 is the first legislation of its kind in Australia.  Plastics play an important role in our economy and daily lives. When used in packaging, plastic helps ensure food safety and reduce food waste, but too often the way it is produced, used and discarded results in a wasted resource, and causes pollution, litter and harm to marine life.

Banned from 1 September 2025 are the following:

• Plastic soy sauce fish
• Attached or enclosed plastic straws and cutlery
• Pre-packaged EPS cups and EPS bowls

FULL LIST OF ALL 2025 BANNED PRODUCTS

5 STEP PLAN

There is a 5 step plan with banned items added each year from 2021 – 2025.  See the full lists below:

Banned from 1 March 2021:

Single-use plastic straws, cutlery and stirrers were prohibited from sale, supply or distribution in South Australia including bioplastic alternatives. These single-use items can be replaced with reusable and plastic-free compostable alternatives. Health and disability exemptions apply for single-use plastic straws.

Banned from 1 March 2022:

Expanded polystyrene cups, bowls, plates and clamshell containers were also prohibited from sale, supply or distribution in South Australia.  Oxo-degradable plastic products were prohibited from production, manufacture, supply and sale in the state.  Oxo-degradable plastic products have additives which enable the plastic to break down into tiny fragments (‘microplastics’) and do not completely decompose.

The next steps establish a phased and manageable move away from single-use plastics over the next three years, enabling all South Australians to replace waste by avoiding single-use plastics and adopting ‘clean and green’ alternatives.

Banned from 1 September 2023:

Plastic-stemmed cotton buds will be phased out. Exemptions are in place, where plastic-stemmed cotton buds are required for medical, scientific, forensic or law enforcement purposes only.

Single-use plastic bowls and plates will be phased out. Exemptions are in place where single-use plastic bowls are required for medical, scientific, forensic or law enforcement purposes only and are not used for serving food to humans. A separate temporary exemption is in place for single-use cardboard or fibreboard bowls and plates that are lined with or coated with plastic.

Plastic pizza savers will be phased out. These are difficult to recycle in conventional recycling facilities, and when left inside a cardboard pizza box they impact on the recyclability or compostability of the pizza box.

Banned from 1 September 2024:

• Plastic barrier bags (plastic bags without handles)
• Thick supermarket or boutique-style plastic bags
• Expanded polystyrene (EPS) consumer food and beverage containers
• Plastic confetti and plastic balloon sticks/ties
• Plastic food bag tags
• Single-use plastic beverage containers (including coffee cups)
• Single-use plastic food containers

ALTERNATIVES

Replace the Waste have listed a number of helpful alternatives – SEE THE LIST HERE

For more information and all enquiries please visit the Replace the Waste website.

At Play & Go Adelaide we make every effort to provide accurate information to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication. We recommend confirming times, dates and details directly before making any plans as details may be subject to change.

Image Source: Replace the Waste

SUBSCRIBE

Follow Play & Go on Facebook and Instagram

Want to get all the latest events and activities straight to your inbox?

Subscribe to our weekly email newsletter below to keep up to date with our latest posts and find out all the best events & activities for Adelaide families. Newsletters are only sent once a week, and you may sometimes get a special offer exclusively for our subscribers only!