On Friday, Western Australia became the first state to outlaw single-use, non-compostable coffee cups, and companies who disobey the law risk facing steep fines.
According to WA Environment Minister Reece Whitby, cafes can either encourage patrons to bring their own cups or use compostable paperboard cups, which are exempt from the restriction.
The WA government is attempting to lessen the amount of single-use plastics in the market, and this measure is a part of that effort.
On Friday, the state also outlawed single-use, disposable plastic food trays with lids, like bento boxes and sushi trays.
A number of products were outlawed in 2023, such as cotton bud sticks and microbeads; sales of plastic produce bags and lidded takeout containers would also be banned starting in September.
More than 154 million coffee cups and over a billion single-use plastic products will be kept out of landfills each year, according to Mr. Whitby.
The state government reports that businesses are generally in favor of the changes and already utilize ecologically friendly alternatives to single-use plastics. The move was implemented on Friday, following a year-long consultation process with businesses.
By implementing the bans more gradually and with a “common-sense” approach to enforcement, it seeks to maintain community support.
“We’re allowing cafes that might have old stocks of compostable coffee cups to trade them out.”
However, the state of Washington also has the power to deter anyone who consistently break the rules by imposing fines of up to $5,000 on individuals or $25,000 on enterprises.
The most recent prohibitions coincide with Clean Up Australia Day, which is observed on Sunday and has since 1990 inspired countless volunteers to clear throwaway coffee cups from parks and waterways.
Nearly 13,000 takeout coffee cups were picked up by the group’s volunteers during the 2023 fiscal year, making them rank among the top 10 most frequently recovered trash items.
Clean Up Australia Day stated in its annual Litter Report that there was probably a boost in coffee cup waste due to increased social activities following COVID-19.
While South Australia has promised to stop selling the cups in September, other more populated governments are proceeding more slowly, with Victoria and New South Wales among those that haven’t committed to a ban.
Mr. Whitby declared, “Western Australia is ahead of the pack.”
“We are the leading state in transitioning away from single-use plastics.”
