Get a head start! Ditch these six plastic items before they’re phased out

The NSW Government’s Plastics Action Plan has arrived– and it’s good news for our environment with an aim to triple the plastic recycling rate by 2030 and reduce plastic litter items by 30 percent by 2025.

The Government’s plan has a staged approach and the first items to be phased out in 2022 (pending legislation) are lightweight plastic bags, plastic straws and cutlery, polystyrene containers, plastic-stemmed cotton buds and microbead products.

Give yourself a head start this Plastic Free July and start swapping out these items for reusable and sustainable alternatives before next year.

Remember to bring your own reusable bag wherever you go, not just to the supermarket – most retailers welcome reusable bags too.

Straws can be the easiest single-use plastic to avoid. Just pick up your drink and take a sip! You can carry a reusable straw if you really need one.

Wherever you can, use reusable cutlery and encourage your local cafes to stock Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified wood, rather than plastic. We can help! Urge the business owner to join our Swap for Good program where they will be provided with support, resources, information on alternative materials and collaboration opportunities to help them ditch disposable plastics for good.

Start taking your own reusable containers for takeaway food whenever you can. If you know a food business who uses disposable takeaway containers, particularly polystyrene, we can help them set up a ‘Swap and Go’ reusable container system. The systems are efficient, sanitised, customers can order ahead and you’re helping to save the earth. Urge your restaurant or café to contact the Swap for Good team today.

Cotton buds should never be flushed down the toilet. Yet, Tangaroa Blue Foundation reports that 60 percent of sanitary items[1] found on beaches in Australia are plastic cotton bud stems with thousands recorded each year. Look for paper-stemmed cotton buds to get ahead of the NSW Plastics Action Plan.

You may not know it but some cosmetic, personal care and cleaning products may contain plastic microbeads. They’re small, solid plastic particles that don’t dissolve in water, and they’re ending up in our oceans wreaking havoc on our marine life.

Have a look at the ingredients list on your products. Anything containing Polyethlene (PE), Polypropylene (PP), Polyethylene terephthalate (PET), Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) and Nylon (PA) should be avoided. You can also look up whether some products have microbeads via the Beat the Microbead website. The Federal Government have reported that 99.3% of rinse-off cosmetic, personal care and cleaning products are now microbead free[2], which should make these products rare.

There are plenty of great products you can swap these out for. Better yet, try out some of the cosmetic and cleaning products at your closest bulk foods store – you can bring reusable jars to refill.

One thing to remember with your journey on avoiding single-use plastics is - it all adds up. A straw here, a plastic bag there - if we all live this way every day the rubbish that needlessly goes to landfill can be enormous. Every piece of single-use plastic you refuse makes a difference.

To find out more about Plastic Free July and other ways you can reduce single-use plastics, visit the Plastic Free July website.