The Queensland parliament has passed legislation to ban single-use plastic straws, stirrers, cutlery and plates, along with polystyrene foam food containers and cups, from September 1.
Following the passage of the laws on Wednesday, Environment Minister Meaghan Scanlon said there was overwhelming community support for banning such products which were too often discarded thoughtlessly.
“Plastic pollution is spoiling our streets and parks, escaping into our ocean and waterways and killing our iconic wildlife,” she said.
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“Half of all plastic produced is designed to be used only once and then thrown away and that litter is destroying our environment.”
The Waste Reduction and Recycling (Plastic Items) Amendment Act 2020 was the next step in the Palaszczuk government’s war on waste, Ms Scanlon said.
She said that during community consultations some 94 per cent of the 20,000 respondents involved supported the proposal to ban such items.
The legislation made provision for more single-use items to be banned through regulation in the future, Ms Scanlon said.
