Western Australia ban on single-use plastic coffee cups not without controversy

Western Australia has banned single-use plastics and lids as part of the second stage of the state’s ‘Plan for Plastics’ program.

The ban will be implemented with a common-sense, education-first approach to enforcement, with the State Government working closely with retailers and consumers to ensure the community can support the changes.

Plan for Plastics has already led to 430 million fewer single-use plastics going to landfill or litter annually in WA.

This ban complements the bans on cotton buds with plastics shafts, degradable plastic and microbeads that have already been implemented in Western Australia.

It is expected the plan's second stage will save an additional 700 million single-use items annually, with hot beverage cups accounting for more than 154 million of these items per annum.

However, the ban excludes compostable coffee cups and many coffee shops have already started offering the compostable variety on the understanding that these can be disposed of in FOGO (food organics, garden organics) bins from where it will be composted at industrial scale composting facilities.

Take 3 for the Sea, an award-winning Australian charity on a mission to rid the oceans of plastic pollution, has highlighted “with no rules or standards in place to control the labelling of items as compostable, there is concern that items will be placed in the wrong bins, potentially contaminating the entire waste system. And composable cups that escape the waste system will still end up as litter.” 

Jacquie Riddell, Chief Executive of Take 3 for the Sea, commented on the controversy “While any ban on single-use plastic items like disposable coffee cups is to be welcomed, I do wonder about the advisability of encouraging a switch to compostable cups. Discarded compostable cups will still appear on our beaches and streets as litter, and clearly there is work to be done on firming up the standards around labelling of what is and isn’t compostable to avoid compromising the waste system.

“The obvious answer is to reduce the amount of waste we produce. And that’s easy to do where coffee cups are concerned – simply bring your own cup, borrow one provided by the cafe, or give yourself a break and sit in the cafe to enjoy your drink.”

Extensive consultation on Western Australia’s second stage was undertaken with businesses - many of which are supportive of the changes and are already using environmentally friendly alternatives to single-use plastics.

The Boomerang Alliance and National Retail Association in partnership with the State Government will help businesses adapt to these bans through the WA Plastic Free Places program, with targeted retail and supplier support to also be made available.

WA Environment Minister Reece Whitby noted "Western Australians want and expect a sinlge-use plastic free future, with many driving the change by using their own reusable cups when they go to buy their morning coffee.

"The State Government will continue to work with retailers and the community to ensure that the changes are well understood and implemented successfully."

For more information on Plan for Plastics

Image. Credit: Take 3 for the Sea