SUP Summary of submissions-Government response (2020)

The Turning the tide on single-use plastic products discussion paper (Turning the tide) was released on 13 January 2019 for public feedback. It referenced a range of literature regarding the impacts of single-use plastic products and proposed that intervention is required to minimise and eliminate those impacts. The response from the South Australian community was overwhelming with almost universal recognition that single-use plastics are causing environmental problems, and that government intervention was needed. On 6 July 2019, the Minister for Environment and Water announced the government’s intentions regarding single-use plastics with the release of the Turning the tide on single-use plastic products – Approach and next steps document.

Since that announcement, a taskforce of select business, industry, local government and interest group stakeholders has been formed (list provided at appendix 1), a plastic-free precinct pilot program has been launched and the Single-use and Other Plastic Products (Waste Avoidance) Bill 2019 was released for public consultation and concluded on 7 February 2020.

The purpose of the consultation was to gather views from stakeholders on the draft legislation which aims to prohibit from sale and supply certain single-use plastic products and in doing so further protect the environment from the urgent problem of plastic pollution. It was important to capture the views of business to ensure that any impacts arising from the government’s approach are minimised and people who rely on using single-use plastic straws for disability or accessibility purposes are still able to access them. In addition to the important views contributed through the stakeholder taskforce, Green Industries SA received 44 formal submissions in total. 24 were from industry associations and industry stakeholders, 7 were from environmental and community groups, and 13 were from individual members of the public (including one ‘petition style’ submission from 148 different authors).

1,417 survey responses were received, including a large number of responses as part of a non-governmental environmental organisation lobbying campaign, and some that were incomplete.

This document summarises submissions that responded to the content proposed in the draft legislation and provides the government’s response. The government acknowledges the continued extraordinary public interest in the issue of single-use and other problematic and unnecessary plastic products and thanks all those who contributed their views, opinions and aspirations.