General News
5 February, 2023
Plastics ban in force
Red Cherry Cafe co-owner Jess Wilde says the transition from polystyrene containers to cardboard ones will be smooth, as the Victorian ban on single-use plastics came into effect this week. The Firebrace Street cafe used polystyrene containers in...
Red Cherry Cafe co-owner Jess Wilde says the transition from polystyrene containers to cardboard ones will be smooth, as the Victorian ban on single-use plastics came into effect this week.
The Firebrace Street cafe used polystyrene containers in several sizes for hot foods purchased by customers before the ban came into force.
"The ban's been coming for some time," Ms Wilde said. "We've had ample notice. I prefer the cardboard containers."
The ban also includes plastic straws, cotton buds, cutlery, plates and drink stirrers.
Single-use plastics and polystyrene containers currently make up a third of Victoria’s litter, pollute waterways and harm wildlife.
The state government banned plastic shopping bags in 2019 and, with an investment of $515 million, devised ways to transform waste by recycling.
By 2030 it hopes to divert 80 per cent of waste from landfill.