David Parker: Environment Minister explains new bans for plastic items

The Government has laid out a four-year roadmap to deal with problem plastics. PVC meat trays and polystyrene takeaway packaging will be phased out late next year. Plastic tableware and plastic straws will be taken off the shelves by mid-2023 and all other polystyrene food and beverage packaging by mid-2025. Environment Minister David Parker says it gives the industry and businesses time to comply. "We've already got good alternatives for polystyrene meat trays, which are plastics that are recyclable, so we are pushing for that to happen early. "For some of the other products, it takes producers a bit longer." He told The Weekend Collective that there is also a $50 million fund to design new alternatives for plastic replacements. "We are only phasing out things that we think by the time they phase out we will have alternatives too. Some things we haven't announced a phase out for, we've got on a longer track." Wet wipes are included on that longer list. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.