NSW and WA in ‘race to the top’ to ban single-use plastics from next year

WA unveils plan to phase out items such as plastic bags, cutlery and polystyrene containers by the end of 2021 - several years ahead of NSW

Lightweight plastic bags, disposable plastic straws and cutlery, plastic cotton buds and microbeads will be banned in New South Wales from next year, as part of a state government push to reduce plastic litter by 30% by 2025.

Reducing plastic waste is part of a wider $356m five-year plan from the NSW government that will also see a new green" bin for food and organic waste rolled out to homes across the state by 2030 - something the state's environment minister Matt Kean says will help reduce emissions in landfill and allow greater extraction of biogas from waste.