Below is the original text from the New South Wales Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) which is currently accepting submissions relating to the recently released paper ‘NSW Plastics Next Steps’. The Consumers’ Federation of Australia encourages submissions and in some cases can and will spearhead member organisation submissions upon request.
The relevant website page can be found here.
We are consulting on the paper NSW Plastics Next Steps, outlining proposed further action on plastic in NSW, for fourteen weeks from Sunday 29 October until Sunday 4 February 2024.
In 2022 NSW began to tackle problematic plastics by phasing out the supply of items such as lightweight plastic bags; plastic single-use cutlery, bowls (without spill-proof lids), plates, stirrers and straws; and plastic microbeads in some rinse-off personal care products.
We need to build on our work by targeting additional problematic or unnecessary plastic items.
The Plastic Reduction and Circular Economy Act 2021 gives us the tools to do this, by allowing us to:
- phase out the supply of problematic or unnecessary plastic items
- set design standards for plastic items, including requirements for the way an item must be made, packaged or labelled
- make brand owners responsible for regulated products across their life cycle, from product design to recycling or disposal.
In this paper we identify some plastic items that:
- are frequently littered
- release microplastics into the environment
- contain harmful chemical additives
- are proposed to be regulated in other states and territories.
We need to come together and act to prevent harm to human health and the environment.
NSW Plastics: Next Steps
We encourage your views on the underlying rationale and proposed actions and what else we could be doing.
We would like your feedback on possible actions across three areas:
- Reducing plastic litter
- Action on harmful chemicals and microplastics
- Keeping pace on plastic action
Ways to have your say
Public consultation on the paper is now open.
You can provide your feedback by:
- Completing the short survey below
- Providing a written submission by emailing plasticsconsultation@epa.nsw.gov.au or uploading below.
If you would prefer to provide written feedback, please upload it here.Upload a submission
NSW Plastics: Next Steps survey
Our survey is open until 5 pm on 4 February 2023. It takes around six minutes to complete. You don’t have to provide feedback on every area of focus. But we encourage you to provide feedback on as many as you can.
Please read the paper prior to completing the survey.