‘Single-use plastics’ to be phased out in Australia from 2025 include plastic utensils and straws

National agreement on items covered by ban should provide businesses with certainty and ease consumer confusion

Plastic cutlery and straws are among the types of single-use plastics to be phased out in Australia from 2025 under a plan to reduce plastic waste.

A national meeting of environment ministers on Thursday confirmed the phase-out would cover eight types of problematic and unnecessary" plastic waste: lightweight plastic bags; plastic misleadingly labelled degradable"; plastic utensils and stirrers; plastic straws; polystyrene food containers; polystyrene consumer goods packaging; and microbeads in personal care products.