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Single-use and hard-to-recycle plastic bans

Find out about hard-to-recycle and single-use plastics to be phased out and those already banned.

Thank you Aotearoa New Zealand

For playing your part so far in removing single-use and hard-to-recycle plastics from our environment. Plastic can be a very useful material. But we use it too much and when we don’t dispose of it properly it can cause significant harm.

The good news is we can all do something about that.
A woman holding two reusable produce bags with fruit in them.
Resources for businesses

Future plastic phase outs

All other PVC and polystyrene food and drink packaging

Food and beverage packaging made primarily from PVC or rigid polystyrene will be considered for a future phase out by Cabinet.
Illustration of a PVC and polystyrene tray and a PVC pottle.
Description of banned product and potential alternatives

Items already banned

Single-use plastic produce bags

The ones you put your fruit and vegetables in at the supermarket – are a thing of the past.
Illustration of a single use plastic produce bag with a broccoli in it.
Description of banned product, exemptions and alternatives

Single-use plastic drinking straws

They are no longer widely available. Only disabled people and those with health needs are able to access them.
Illustration of multiple single use plastic drinking straws.
Description of restricted product, exemptions and alternatives

Single-use plastic tableware and cutlery

This means those single-use plastic plates and cutlery you get at parties need to be replaced by reusable or non-plastic alternatives (eg, paper).
Illustration of a single use plastic fork, knife, spoon, plate, and bowl.
Description of banned products, exemptions and alternatives

Plastic produce labels

Plastic produce labels like the ones you find on apples will start to change. This is as industry work towards a home compostable version.
Illustration of three apples that each have a plastic produce label on them.
Description of banned product, exemptions and alternatives

No longer available for sale

Some polystyrene takeaway food and drink packaging, and some PVC food trays and containers were banned from 1 October 2022. Also banned are all cotton buds with plastic stems, plastics with pro-degradant additives and plastic drink stirrers.
Illustration of products banned from October 2022, which include polystyrene takeaway food and drink packaging, PVC food trays, plastic drink stirrers, and cotton buds with plastic stems.
Description of banned product and alternatives

Resources for the plastic phase-outs