26 December 2025

NSW Plastic Action Plan – hurry up… please

Some plastic makes our lives easier and safer. Some don't. But all too often, we continue using such items long past the time we've agreed they are unnecessary.

By Emily Rowland and Mike Ritchie, MRA Consulting Group

The NSW EPA has now released its 2025 Plastics Plan 2.0.

The first NSW Action Plan was released in June 2021, then the Minister announced “Plastics-The Way Forward” in 2023.

Which brings us to the latest Plastics Action Plan 2025.

This newly released Plan 2.0 restates the objectives:

Phasing out problematic and unnecessary plastic items;
Scaling up reusable alternatives to single-use plastics;
Increasing plastic-waste recycling; and
Reducing plastic pollution and contamination.

So, what is new.

The best bit is the new litter target of a 60% reduction in all litter items by 2030; it is quantitative and measurable.

The plan proposes:

Elimination of entire categories of problematic plastics like degradable plastics, EPS packaging, umbrella bags, fruit stickers, etc.;
Design for recycling;
Mandatory acceptance of reusable cups by businesses;
Reuse system requirements for large food service operators;
A product stewardship scheme for takeaway cups and containers;
Chemical strategy standards for plastic packaging;
Preparing microfibre filter requirements for new washing machines; and
Rolling out clearer disposal labelling and anti greenwashing rules.

All great. Thanks EPA and Government. But why so slow? Why does this take so long. Here are the key timelines:

2026: introducing the regulations; banning lighter than air balloons; trialling reusable cup systems; more consultation on circular solutions for hard to recycle packaging.
2027: phasing out a wide range of problematic single use plastics; identifying chemicals of concern; publishing brand data on litter; establishing a reuse only precinct in Sydney CBD.
2028: continuing plastic phase outs; requiring acceptance of reusable cups; increasing recyclability and paper disposal labelling for packaging; verifying compostable claims; improving standards for microfibre filtration and bin infrastructure.
2029: the phase out of plastic tags on fresh produce bags.
2030: phasing out fruit and vegetable stickers unless compostable; expanding reusable cup systems in large businesses; ensuring condiment packages and beverage lids are recyclable or tethered; implementing product stewardship for takeaway cups and containers.

I can’t critique the proposals but… 2030? Really?

Fruit stickers for example are contaminating compost today. Ruining tonnes of perfectly good compost, jeopardising agricultural markets.

If I had a plastic client that produced known pollutants that damaged the environment, the EPA would shut them down. Rightly so.

So why allow continuing contamination for another 4 years?

The Government has the tools, public mandate and evidence to act faster; waiting until 2030 is a nonsense. These are simple, real and popular changes.

We got the first plan in 2021. It can’t and should not, take 10 years to develop a plan and implement it.

If the EPA is slow walking on simple plastic and litter reform what hope do we have of harder landfill, recycling and climate change reform?The environment and the future, deserve better from us.

Emily Rowland is a Strategy intern at MRA Consulting Group.

Mike Ritchie is the Managing Director at MRA Consulting Group.

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