Queensland has advanced its place towards the top of WWF-Australia’s plastics scorecard with the release of a new plan to ban harmful single-use plastics, including disposable coffee cups and lids.
Environment Minister Meaghan Scanlon announced the five-year roadmap, which will also include a ban on cotton buds with plastic stems, polystyrene packing peanuts, the mass release of balloons, and a mandate that heavyweight plastic bags meet a reusability standard.
“It’s great to see the Sunshine State balancing high ambition with a thoughtful approach to transition away from unnecessary and problematic single-use plastics,” says Kate Noble, WWF-Australia’s No Plastics in Nature Policy Manager.
“This plan will stop some of the most damaging single-use plastics from entering Queensland’s beaches and waterways.
“It will create a real opportunity for Queensland to not just transition away from single-use plastics but move towards a more sustainable approach where re-use is normal and our use of disposables is massively reduced.”
The 2022 scorecard, released for the start of Plastic Free July, has Western Australia maintaining its top spot thanks to its ban on single-use plastic bowls, plates, cutlery, straws and polystyrene food containers last year.
South Australia is in third place with further commitments expected this year, while the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales and Victoria are tied for fourth. Tasmania and the Northern Territory are in fifth and sixth place respectively.
“We now have six governments taking real action on plastics and plans to phase out at least some unnecessary plastics in every jurisdiction. This will make a real difference to wildlife and ecosystems that are under serious threat from plastic pollution,” Noble says.
“Now it’s up to all of us to step up and make sure we’re refusing single-use items and re-using as much as we possibly can – switching from single-use plastic to other single-use products isn’t the way forward.”
For more information, visit the WWF-Australia website.