The draft laws to ban single-use plastics in Victoria are open for feedback. The Australian Marine Conservation Society has sent out a guide to providing strong feedback that prevents loopholes weakening these laws. Use it when filling in the quick and easy survey, which closes on Sunday 15 May…

Click the button below to go to the feedback survey form, which can be done until Sunday 15 May, and then follow the advice below to help remove loopholes and get the single use plastic items missing from the list banned as well.

Get plastics like thick plastic bags & plastic cups banned too

Thick plastic bags, plastic cups, plastic fruit and vegetable bags, and coffee cups that contain plastic are currently not included int he ban, but they should be! They’re all unnecessary single-use plastic items we have reusable alternatives for.

At the end of the survey, in the Is there any other feedback you would like to share? section, say yes and ask for these additional disposable items to be banned.

Western Australia is banning thick plastic bags and plastic cups this year, so why can’t Victoria?

But first, use the below guide to help you answer the questions on the exceptions for certain products and certain situations…

Help close proposed loopholes

The proposed laws will ban the following single-use plastics: straws and drink stirrers, plastic cutlery, plastic plates, expanded polystyrene food and drink containers, and plastic cotton bud sticks, but there are exemptions and loopholes. Some of these are good and necessary, such as the exemption for drinking straws that are used or intended to be used by a person who requires them due to a disability or for medical reasons, but some are bad and not necessary.

The proposed exemptions would still allow large volumes of plastic to be used. The Australian Marine Conservation Society (AMCS) is concerned about these and has suggested the following feedback to four of the survey questions:

1. “Do you support a proposed exemption for cotton bud sticks used or intended to be used for testing carried out for scientific, medical, forensic or law enforcement purposes? Such as for use in a COVID test or laboratory testing.

We suggest answering YES or UNSURE

Under “Do you wish to provide any further comments?” we suggest asking for:

• exemptions for medical testing should be phased out by 1 December 2025, and

• the government invest in research to find alternatives to single-use plastics in the health and medical sector.

  Why have we suggested this response?
  Currently plastic cotton bud sticks are still needed in medical and forensic testing, because they are not porous. Alternatives like bamboo and cardboard can retain residue that may contaminate samples.”

2. “Do you support a proposed exemption for cutlery used or intended to be used in mental health facilities, and in correctional, police or youth justice custodial settings, for health and safety purposes?

We suggest answering UNSURE or NO

Under “Do you wish to provide any further comments?” we suggest asking for:

• exemptions for these facilities should be phased out by 1 December 2025 at the latest.

Why have we suggested this response?
We have been told that the main reason for continuing to allow these is for safety reasons. However, this exemption hasn’t been allowed in other states, and we have not seen sufficient evidence that reusable or sustainable alternatives are less safe in justice services. We suggest asking for these to be phased out by 2025, allowing three years for these services to find suitable alternatives.”

3. ”Do you support a proposed exemption for paper or cardboard plates lined or laminated with any plastic (often known as party plates) to continue to be sold, supplied, and used in Victoria?

We suggest answering NO - they should be banned now

Why have we suggested this response?
The only reason for this exemption is that coloured dyes on paper plates sometimes need a plastic lining to make them food safe. We don’t believe the luxury of a coloured plate is worth plastic pollution contaminating our oceans.”

4. ”Do you support an exemption for drinking straws, cutlery or expanded polystyrene cups integrated into food/drink packaging by a machine until 31 December 2025?

We suggest answering NO - they should be banned now

Why have we suggested this response?
Tiny plastic forks and straws included in pre-packed snack containers are impossible to recycle, and constantly being found in our oceans and on our beaches. Easily lost, or thrown straight into landfill, they are pollution plain and simple. Is convenience really worth allowing three more years of plastic pollution?”

Thank you to the Australian Marine Conservation Society for all its hard work pushing for reduced plastic on Earth and in our oceans!