A brave step with the ban on plastics
For my entire lifetime there has been an acceptance that single use plastics are a part of everyday life. Despite all the anxiety and despair I have developed from seeing plastic pollution everywhere and reading and learning about it on the news, I still couldn’t avoid them. They covered my food, my groceries, my technology and nearly every purchase I have ever made.
As a result, I have rarely been to a beach where I have not found some form of plastic. It has only been in the last four or five years that there has been a huge push to make a positive change and a shift to biodegradable packaging, bags, and utensils. This achievement is huge, and just a couple of weeks ago we took another huge step with a ban and an outlined phase-out of some single use plastics in South Australia. The state is not only leading the way with solar and renewable energy but also with its step away from single plastic use.
The new legislation was introduced in April 2020 and passed through parliament in September 2020. Despite some delays due to COVID-19, the legislation to ban the sale, supply and distribution of some single use plastics came into effect on March 1, 2021 (source). This doesn’t just mark some good news (finally) but also makes South Australia the first state in Australia to ban these products, amongst them straws and single use cutlery *turtles jump for joy*.
It is monumental milestones such as this legislation that allow me to find hope and positivity in a seemingly bleak outlook for our environment. Perhaps what is even better is that no one seems worried. There hasn’t been a huge backlash or uproarious complaints that ‘’my paper straws are too soft’’. The discourse around the phase out of some single plastics has been, from what I have seen, heard and read, seemingly positive. This lets me know that politicians and leaders can push this impactful legislation and we, the public, are equally capable of accepting these necessary changes. If this is just the beginning, then I know we have a positive way forward and can tackle the big issues facing our environment and our future.