Local government submission to the single-use plastics review
This legislation was created to help our state phase out single-use plastics which helps reduce pollution, cut carbon emissions and protect marine life.
Local government leadership toward a circular economy
The local government sector is proud to be a key contributor to South Australia’s transition towards net zero and a more circular economy.
Last year, councils invested just under $290 million to improve recycling and resource recovery in South Australia. The Single-use and Other Plastic Products (Waste Avoidance) Act 2020 is one way to change the composition and reduce the amount of products which enter the market.
Councils are committed to advancing waste management practices to provide high quality, innovative and sustainable waste management services to support the transition toward a more circular economy.
Submission recommendations
In the next phase of the single-use plastics legislation, there is an opportunity to support and promote important waste avoidance activities and the correct disposal of materials.
Through consultation with members, in our submission we’ve recommended the government focus on:
- broadening the public awareness campaign Replace the Waste to focus on higher order waste avoidance activities, as well as focusing on the necessary system changes so alternative products promoted through legislation can be correctly disposed
- continued transparency on product labelling to help divert recyclable and compostable materials from landfill and to reduce contamination of co-mingled recycling and FOGO bins
- additional regulation of PFAS in compostable packaging and products
- supporting national harmonisation efforts around product stewardship
- further investigation into the use of reusable food and beverage containers at events.
To support improvements in recycling processes, we also recommend the next phase of product prohibitions consider black and dark plastic containers/packaging. These items are often missed in the recycling process and are disposed to landfill.
Find out more
Further information about the independent review can be found on the YourSAy website.