Soy sauce bottles molded like fish and polystyrene containers are prohibited in South Australia under new plastic regulations.

South Australia has taken a significant step towards reducing waste and protecting the environment by banning a range of single-use plastic products. The move is part of a broader commitment by South Australians to avoid waste and shift to reusable or recyclable options.

The journey began on March 1, 2021, with the phased approach to banning single-use plastics. The initial phase saw the ban on single-use plastic straws, cutlery, and stirrers. Since then, the ban has expanded to include single-use straws and cutlery attached to food or drink containers, rigid plastic condiment containers under 30 milliliters with lids, expanded polystyrene cups and bowls, such as those used for instant noodles, and plastic-stemmed cotton buds, pizza savers, barrier bags, thick supermarket bags, single-use food containers, plastic confetti, and food bag tags. The ban on these containers took effect on Monday, September 1, 2025.

The legislation, known as the Single-use and Other Plastic Products (Waste Avoidance) Act, was passed in 2020. South Australia has also outlawed single-use, fish-shaped soy sauce containers as part of its fight against waste.

Across the globe, the fight against single-use plastics is gaining momentum. In the United States, the federal government, under President Donald Trump, signed an executive order to end the "procurement and forced use of paper straws." The order also required a "National Strategy" to end the use of paper straws within 45 days and "alleviate the forced use of paper straws nationwide."

Several Democrat-run states in the U.S., including California, Colorado, New York, Maine, Oregon, Vermont, Rhode Island, and Washington, have bans or restrictions on single-use plastic straws.

However, the move towards a more sustainable future is not without controversy. According to the White House, paper straws are more expensive than plastic straws and use chemicals that may carry risks to human health.

Despite these challenges, South Australians remain committed to environmental action. The act acknowledges the role of plastic in daily life but emphasizes the need to reduce waste and protect the environment. The ban is part of a larger strategy to shift towards a circular economy, where resources are kept in use for as long as possible, and the maximum value is extracted from them whilst in use, then treated as a valuable resource for regeneration and reuse.

As the world grapples with the issue of plastic waste, South Australia serves as a shining example of what can be achieved through legislative action and public commitment. The fight against single-use plastics is far from over, but with initiatives like these, we are one step closer to a cleaner, greener future.