World Environment Day 2023
June 5 marks World Environment Day, and this year’s focus is on finding solutions to end plastic pollution.
Everyone has a role to play as we work to #BeatPlasticPollution, and a small change can make a big difference. By making conscious choices to reduce our plastic use, we are creating a healthier and more sustainable world.
Whether it's bringing our own reusable bags, bottles, or containers, or choosing products with minimal packaging, every action counts.
Watch this video to learn more about how we can overcome plastic pollution:
Single-use plastic ‘wrap’ up
Across the country, efforts are being made to help businesses and communities move away from single-use plastics.
Since South Australia’s single-use and other plastic products legislation first came into effect, the Australian Capital Territory, Queensland, Western Australia, New South Wales and Victoria have also introduced their own bans and restrictions on identified single-use plastic products, and the Northern Territory and Tasmania have announced their intentions to introduce legislation by 2025.
South Australia is contributing to the global movement to #BeatPlasticPollution by:
- prohibiting certain problematic and unnecessary plastic products through legislation, and continuing to broaden the scope of this legislation
- helping businesses and the community to replace the waste by swapping out single-use products with reusable or compostable alternatives.
And with plans to introduce the first Australian bans on pizza savers, plastic confetti, plastic balloon sticks and ties, plastic bread tags, plastic fruit stickers and plastic soy sauce fish over the next 3 years, South Australia remains a leader in this space – but there is more work to be done.
Replace the waste to make a difference
Plastics play an important role in our economy and daily lives, but too often the way the material is produced, used and discarded results in a wasted resource, and causes pollution, litter and harm to our environment and wildlife.
Globally, enough single-use plastic is produced each year to fill more than 21 million shipping containers. This will only increase if we don’t start making changes to replace the waste now.
You can do your bit by doing your best to replace the waste at home. That means avoiding single-use plastic items, or swapping them out for a reusable, compostable or recyclable option.
If your favourite brands are overpackaged, you can encourage change by contacting them on social media and sharing your concerns.
To help you replace the waste, we’ve created a guide to readily available recyclable, compostable and reusable alternatives.
For more tips and advice, or to share how you replace the waste, follow us on Facebook and Instagram.