The Conservation Council ACT Region has provided feedback to the City and Environment Directorate on their discussion paper proposing to phase out an additional 14 single-use plastic items in the ACT. Click here to read our full submission.
We welcome the ACT Government’s willingness to explore options to reduce single-use plastics in the ACT and support the ban of the 14 single-use plastic items identified in the discussion paper. We encourage the Government to strengthen its ambition and action beyond ‘continuing to investigate whether these opportunities could work locally’.
We recommend that the ACT Government:
- Immediately ban all 14 single-use plastic items identified in the discussion paper, prioritising items where reusable alternatives are readily available.
- Introduce “reuse-first” regulation for the hospitality sector, including requiring reusable serviceware for dine-in customers, a waste levy for businesses exclusively using single-use packaging, and waste minimisation requirements for new cafés.
- Phase out additional problematic items including helium balloon releases and cigarette filters.
- Actively support a mandatory national Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) scheme for packaging by 2026.
- Continue to fund and partner with community organisations that deliver circular economy programs, recognising their critical role in achieving government outcomes.
We also support submissions made by the following organisations:
Whilst it is promising that there is government intent to further regulate single-use plastics in the ACT, implementing our as well as other community organisation’s recommendations would result in a far more holistic approach towards normalising reuse and building a circular economy.
You can read the full submission here.