If you run a cafe, restaurant or takeaway shop in NSW, single-use plastics are not just an environmental question any more — they are a compliance question. The NSW Plastic Reduction and Circular Economy Act 2021 bans a range of single-use plastic items outright, and the NSW EPA is the regulator that enforces it.
This guide sets out exactly which items are banned, what the rules mean for a food business, and what you can use instead. We supply the compliant alternatives, so we have put the practical swaps in one table at the end.
Which single-use plastics are banned in NSW
According to the NSW EPA, the following single-use items are banned:
- Plastic straws (with exemptions for people with a disability or medical need)
- Plastic cutlery — knives, forks, spoons, sporks, chopsticks
- Plastic stirrers
- Plastic plates
- Plastic bowls, including expanded polystyrene bowls
- Expanded polystyrene (EPS) foodware — cups, clamshell containers and plates
- Plastic cotton buds
- Microbeads in certain rinse-off personal care products
The EPA maintains the authoritative list here: Banned single-use plastic items (NSW EPA).
What the ban actually means for your business
Three points catch a lot of operators out:
1. “Not supplying” means more than not selling
The EPA states that it is an offence to receive, possess, advertise or display a banned item for the purposes of supply in NSW — not just to hand it to a customer. Old stock sitting in your storeroom is a problem, not a grey area.
2. There is no small-business exemption
The EPA is explicit that businesses, community organisations, education facilities and not-for-profits must all comply. You must not supply a banned item at all.
3. Penalties scale up if you are supplying in the course of business
On-the-spot fines apply for supplying a banned item, and the EPA states that maximum court penalties are doubled for businesses supplying banned items while carrying on a business. The EPA can also issue compliance notices, and there is an administrative fee payable for each notice issued ($840 in FY2026–27).
Penalty amounts change, so check the current figures directly with the EPA: Complying with the plastics bans (NSW EPA).
What to use instead — swap table
| Banned item | Compliant alternative |
|---|---|
| Plastic cutlery | Wooden or bamboo cutlery |
| Plastic straws | Paper straws |
| Plastic plates | Sugarcane (bagasse) plates, paper plates |
| Plastic bowls | Sugarcane bowls, kraft paper salad bowls, noodle bowls |
| EPS clamshell containers | Kraft paper containers, sugarcane clamshells |
| EPS cups | Single or double wall paper cups |
| Plastic stirrers | Wooden stirrers |
A five-minute compliance check
- Walk your storeroom, not just your service counter. Banned stock should not be held for supply in NSW.
- Check anything that came bundled with packaging — cutlery packs and stirrer sachets are easy to miss.
- Check your EPS. Foam cups and foam clamshells are banned foodware, not just “old stock”.
- If you keep plastic straws for customers with a disability or medical need, understand how that exemption works before relying on it.
- Ask your supplier to confirm in writing that what they are shipping you is compliant.
Buying compliant packaging in Sydney
Glory Packaging is a Sydney wholesale supplier of takeaway and food packaging. We stock the compliant alternatives listed above — sugarcane containers and plates, kraft paper containers, paper cups, paper straws and wooden cutlery — for hospitality businesses. Free delivery applies to product subtotals excluding GST of $200 in eligible Sydney Metro Near postcodes or $300 in eligible Sydney Metro Far postcodes. Selected postcodes only. Check eligible postcodes, delivery charges and pickup details.
If you are unsure whether something in your current range is compliant, send us the item and we will tell you what to switch to. Get in touch or browse the range.
Related packaging guides
- 2026 Sydney Takeaway Packaging Price Guide
- Top 5 Wholesale Packaging Suppliers in Sydney
- Opening a Cafe in Sydney: The Complete Packaging Checklist
- Special Order: Eco Packaging for Sydney Venues
This article is general information, not legal advice. The NSW EPA is the regulator for the plastics bans and its guidance is the authoritative source. Confirm current requirements and penalty amounts at epa.nsw.gov.au.
