Australia's plastic ban is upgraded again! Establishing national-level agency to develop 100% compostable plastics

The Australian government has newly stipulated that all soft plastic shopping bags and disposable plastics, including coffee cups, will be banned from September 1.

The Biodegradable Materials Research Institute reported that on September 2, Australia's A$8 million (RMB 38.42 million) Bioplastics Innovation Center was officially opened.

The center is using food waste such as cooking oil to develop 100% compostable bioplastics, including the production of bioplastics that can be decomposed in compost, land or water.

The center is a joint venture between Australia's national science agency CSIRO and Murdoch University and is located on the main campus of Murdoch University in Perth, Western Australia. It will bring together experts in microbiology, molecular genetics, synthetic biology, biochemical engineering, advanced manufacturing and circular economy to translate advances in bioplastics research into real-world applications. It will also serve as a training center for the next generation of advanced biomanufacturing workforce.

"Our main focus is on developing 100% compostable bio-derived packaging for use as sprays, films, bottles, caps and wraps that are designed to fully decompose in compost, land and aquatic environments," said Dr Andy Whiteley, CSIRO research program director.

The centre's first project will be with PHA producer Ecopha Biotech Pty, also based in Perth. The partners aim to develop a new process to produce water bottles using PHA from food industry waste.

Australia previously introduced national packaging targets in 2018 in an industry-led plan that did not impose penalties for failure. It required 70% of plastic packaging to be recycled or composted by 2025, but it is clear that Australia will not meet this target, with only 18% of plastic packaging being recycled in 2023.

The Australian government has also introduced new regulations that came into effect this week, including a ban on all soft plastic shopping bags and single-use plastics, including coffee cups, from September 1. The new laws also require packaging to be designed to be safely recovered, reused, recycled and reprocessed in line with circular economy principles.

South Australian regulations From 1 September 2024, the following items will no longer be sold, supplied or distributed in South Australia:

Thin plastic barrier bags for fruit, vegetables, nuts and sweets

Thick plastic shopping bags for supermarkets and boutiques, and plastic-coated paper shopping bags

Single-use plastic hot and cold drinks containers, including coffee cups and lids

Single-use plastic food containers for ‘ready-to-eat’ foods

Expanded polystyrene (EPS) consumer food containers and EPS trays

Plastic food bag labels

Plastic confetti, plus balloon sticks and tie wraps