With South Australia’s ban on single use plastics being introduced almost a month ago, the state has seen the disappearance of plastic straws and cutlery through stores and businesses.

The ban was introduced 12 months ago but was put to the side under the pressure from COVID-19 and reintroduced later, allowing SA to lead the way in caring for the environment once again.

“By being a first-mover nationally we’ve already seen businesses who manufacture re-usable and compostable alternatives start to set up in South Australia,” Minister of Environment David Speirs told The Australian.

The ban, although only introduced recently, will eventually come to encompass plastic lids for cups with other non-biodegradable materials to be banned. The banning of polystyrene cups will then soon follow.

Plastic waste kills hundreds of thousands of marine creatures every year and many more sea birds with a single plastic bag or straw, killing multiple animals due to the length of time they take to disintegrate.

By Scott Helm