HANSARD
SITTING CALENDAR
SEARCH
LIVE BROADCAST
Hansard Dynamic Subject Index
House of Assembly - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, Second Session (54-2)
2020-06-03 Daily Xml
Contents
Pdf Xml

Single-use and Other Plastic Products (Waste Avoidance) Bill

Second Reading

Adjourned debate on second reading.

(Continued from 2 June 2020.)

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD (Gibson—Minister for Police, Emergency Services and Correctional Services, Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing) (16:11): I rise today to speak on the Single-use and Other Plastic Products (Waste Avoidance) Bill 2020. This bill represents the next logical step to achieving a cleaner and more sustainable state. It is the result of careful planning and close consultation with the community over the last few years. I commend the Minister for the Environment Mr David Speirs, a friend and colleague, for championing this cause and the great work he has done.

South Australians can be proud of how we have managed waste. We were one of the first states to introduce the container scheme in 1977. In 2017-18, we recovered almost 603 million containers to be recycled. In 2009, we became the first state to ban lightweight plastic bags from supermarket check-outs. With this bill, we have the opportunity to keep being leaders in environmental sustainability.

On commencement, the bill would ban single-use plastic straws, cutlery and drink stirrers from sale, supply and distribution. Twelve months from commencement date, the distribution of expanded polystyrene cups, bowls, plates, clamshell containers and oxo-degradable plastic products would then be prohibited. This is a great opportunity before us, and we look forward to getting on with this job.

Last year, the government sought feedback from community and businesses on how to better protect natural resources and reduce the impact of single-use plastics on the environment. The state government set up its voluntary trial of Plastic Free Precincts. These precincts were characterised by the use of alternatives to single-use plastics. They were involved in identifying the opportunities and challenges associated with those alternatives and have helped inform the bill before us today, a bill that seeks a cleaner and greener environment for all South Australians to enjoy.

As the member for Gibson, I was fortunate enough to have one of these precincts in my electorate. Jetty Road, Brighton, traders jumped on board. I am so proud of what these local small businesses have achieved. As you know, Jetty Road is a busy and popular street leading to Brighton Beach and the jetty. Its friendly cafes attract visitors not only from neighbouring streets and suburbs but from the rest of Adelaide and the wider region. Especially during COVID time, people have loved getting down to the beach.

What did becoming a Plastic Free Precinct mean for local businesses on Jetty Road? They changed how they operate—small change, but great change with benefits for the wider community. By changing how they operate, these cafes and other small businesses in plastics-free precincts reduced their waste and their customers' waste.

Take a local Brighton cafe, the Seller Door, for example. Its owner, Tom Rodger, has done an outstanding job transitioning away from single-use plastics. One of the features of his cafe is cornstarch straws that are indistinguishable from plastic straws. These straws are biodegradable and compostable and a fantastic way to ensure that nothing is wasted. Thanks to Tom's management, the Seller Door has been so successful that it was named a plastic-free champion and identified as one of the businesses doing a superb job of reducing their plastic footprint. We know that plastic straw litter along the beach is an eyesore and bad for the environment, and it is something we want to curtail.

There is also Big Shots Cafe, which is owned by Joshua Anderson. Big Shots is aiming to be 100 per cent plastic free. They use fully compostable plastic-free packaging for their burger boxes, coffee cups, lids and cutlery. The Brighton Jetty Bakery, owned and run by David and Dahlia Matkovic, uses recycled paper bags and boxes for takeaways, along with paper straws, bamboo cutlery and compostable coffee cups. Finally, Delicia at Brighton use paper cups and straws, and the materials they use for their takeaway bowls, lids and cups are biodegradable.

These small businesses have embraced a novel way of operating, liberated from the single-use plastics. It may seem like a small thing—changes to straws that we use or the cups we have our coffee in—but small changes and new habits make a massive difference in the long run. We know that the result will be positive, that is, a great reduction in the state's waste. I really want to commend the spirit and flexibility shown by local business owners like those on Jetty Road, Brighton.

It has not been just the cafes on Jetty Road that have embraced the challenge and changing ways that we do business. Just around the corner from the Brighton traders is the fantastic Brighton Surf Lifesaving Club. Brighton was one of dozens of surf lifesaving clubs around the state to take part in the Plastic Free Precincts program. The volunteers of the Brighton Surf Lifesaving Club, led by their hardworking president, Chris Parsons, run massive events throughout the summer. They put on big events such as the Brighton Jetty Classic, the big swimming event down there, attracting people from all over, as you would imagine.

It takes great resources to satisfy the hunger and quench the thirst of the large crowds at massive events like these, creating waste in a world of single-use plastics. However, like other surf lifesaving clubs, Brighton Surf Lifesaving Club is leading the way and paving the progress towards a cleaner and more sustainable environment. Can I also say that my daughter, at our local high school, Brighton Secondary School, carries a metal straw with her wherever she goes. I find it quite fascinating. She has a little straw cleaner as well, and she is very committed to the cause.

When she visits the cafe strip, she has her metal straw in her handbag or her backpack, or whatever it might be. She is also working with the school in looking at ways in which they can ban single-use plastics. So everyone is getting right behind this in the Brighton community and in the wider community in the electorate of Gibson, where we are situated.

When it comes to plastic-free environments, I am fortunate to have a pioneering group in my electorate, a wonderful group who are really at the forefront of ridding our state of single-use plastics. The state government's trial has shown that it is possible for committed small businesses to achieve a more sustainable way of operating. Cafes in my electorate have been a big part of the group creating the Plastic Free Precincts, leading us forward, experimenting and finding out what works to give the rest of us a sure and clear path to follow.

We know that it is possible to use alternatives to single-use plastics. We know that these alternatives reduce our waste. We know what we have to do as a state. Let's take this great opportunity to move forward, riding the wave of our recent experiences and victories. Our Plastic Free Precincts have worked. Let's build on the good work of everyone involved and move closer to becoming a plastic-free state. I commend the bill to the house.

Mr TEAGUE (Heysen) (16:18): I commend the interest of all members in this important piece of legislation, including my good friend the member for Narungga, whose contribution to the debate in due course I will listen to with particular care, as I have to those others who have already contributed. It has been reflected on by a number of members in the course of this debate that South Australia in the country—not just in Australia but also worldwide—has a very proud history when it comes to legislative schemes to promote the reduction of litter and increase recycling. Increasingly, over the course of the last 40 years of the South Australian container deposit scheme, that has transferred into a focus on resource recovery as we know.

Not to stay with history for too much longer, because this reform is very much about the future, but the Beverage Container Act 1975 that came into force ultimately in 1977 was indeed groundbreaking legislation and set South Australia on a course that it has been really on ever since. We all laud the deposit scheme aspect of it providing incentive not to litter and then to ensure that we have a good level of recycling.

It bears perhaps just a moment's pause to understand that there was an element of all of this at the time that was driven at least in part by the parochial nature for the market for beer nationally—beer and soft drinks, but beer in particular. As we know, adherence to the local beer is something that is still very relevant around the country.

South Australians are very proud of our South Australian beer, and, of course, there are these national brewers that from time to time seek to do what they ought not do and that is to come in and trample all over the South Australian brewers. So, there were and remain some interesting aspects of cross-border trade associated with the introduction of a container deposit scheme in South Australia. The end result of all of that is that we have also seen a legacy of strong nationally and world-leading brewers in South Australia, and we can all be glad that that has been one of the corollary outcomes as well.

The protection of our natural environment and initiatives, including the use of technology and the choices we make about the materials that we use on a day-to-day basis, are issues of the utmost importance for my constituents, my electors, in the Hills. The environment more generally is a matter of the utmost priority. Many of my constituents make the conscious decision to live in the Hills for that particular reason. They want to engage in the natural environment, they want to volunteer in terms of protecting our natural environment and are very conscious of the practical things that we do in our day-to-day lives to improve the natural environment.

This reform, the subject of this legislation, is particularly welcomed in the Hills in Heysen by my constituents, so when I reflect on how proud I am of our legacy and where this is taking us, that is a matter of particular local relevance. Just by way of one recent example, I think I indicated to the house back in mid-May that I was then on my way to speak to students at Heathfield High School about the work of state parliament.

In the context of COVID and the challenges that we face and the need to enact various emergency provisions in response to the global pandemic, there was a keen focus on that topic, of course, but it never strayed far from a keen interest in what we are doing in this state parliament to promote improvement of our natural environment to promote ways of better managing our waste and of ensuring that we are responsibly managing pollution, materials, recycling and resource recovery.

The Minister for Energy and Mining made what in my view is a particularly valuable contribution to the debate yesterday when reflecting on the importance that we as a broader community have confidence in what we are doing as a state in this space. Much as we have found through the struggle and challenge of the COVID-19 public health emergency, many South Australians have found cause to be particularly proud of being in South Australia and what we can achieve in this state in the context of a struggle that is very much being faced around the world. South Australians can see that when we take initiatives in this state, we can do it with excellence and in a way that can demonstrate to the rest of the world the best way forward.

It has also been a cause for reflection in recent days, in the context of the COVID-19 crisis, by my colleague in the other place as recently as yesterday, that we consider our history in South Australia as a strong manufacturing state and that we might do well at this time, particularly in the context of these reforms, to consider what we might do in the manufacturing space in this state, with a reference to the importance and value in manufacturing products and not just price. That then in turn very much speaks to the kinds of values that we have when we are focused on avoiding waste and an increase in recycling and resource recovery.

There are a number of areas locally in which this has been writ large. I mentioned a moment ago my recent visit to Heathfield High School. I was very pleased not so very long ago to be at Scott Creek Primary School. That is the smallest primary school within Heysen, with just 43 students, but I can tell you, Mr Acting Speaker, it is punching well above the weight that its numbers would suggest in terms of the influence that it would have in this space in raising the importance of the natural environment. I was pleased to participate with students at Scott Creek Primary School on a recycling awareness project that they were undertaking.

I see regularly now through community events, the major country shows that go on through the Hills, that there are efforts being made as a matter of core business at events through the Hills to reduce waste and to support at all times re-usable and environmentally responsible products and materials. I would cite in particular the very successful, increasingly successful, Stirling Laneways, which is a regular event now on the calendar throughout the bulk of the year at Stirling. Stirling Laneways stalls take over the main street on the Sundays when Laneways occurs. The event requires that the use of materials by stallholders is environmentally responsible and is recyclable or compostable. Stirling Laneways is really bringing those aspects to the fore as a matter of identity, and much the same applies to the country shows within Heysen.

I am also proud to say that this year Meadows Primary School has been participating in a project decorating paper bags for the Daisy Trail, a similar initiative to the Yellow Brick Road that we see at the Royal Adelaide Show. They are making efforts to recycle glass jars for packaging as well, something they have had underway for some time in the Pick a Stick project. I also want to commend the local councils within Heysen.

There are a number of initiatives that have been undertaken throughout the Hills, and I count all the four local councils among those participants: Alexandrina Council, Adelaide Hills Council, Mount Barker council and Onkaparinga. I hope that illustrates very clearly that the banning of single-use plastics, which this legislation will initiate and also set out a structure for for further development over time, is really something that our community is not just ready for but is already very actively engaged in actually doing.

We talk about making sure that we back our words with actions and that we bring the community along. This is one of those areas in which there is already so much going on in the community, and this legislation will really provide a structure for how we proceed going forward. It would be remiss of me at this time not to at least in passing advert to the fact that I very much look forward to return to the use of normal eating utensils. Of course, we have been using and needing to use certain disposable materials in the course of confronting the public health emergency.

They are certainly very environmentally friendly, and the heightened hygiene requirements have required us to use those materials. I say that because we want to see continual development in this area, and we want to see advances so that, when people see banned those single-use plastics they might be familiar with using on a day-to-day basis, we do not want them to see that as the taking away of some benefit but, rather, the opportunity to improve and to advance technology much in the way that the Minister for Police reflected in relation to his daughter's practice. It is one that my daughters also happen to share; they very much like their metal straws.

This is about advancing technology in materials, as well as being responsible in terms of the avoidance of waste and the avoidance of the introduction into the environment unnecessarily of these harmful plastics. I reflect momentarily that it is well known that much of the body of the bill is dedicated to providing for the particular banning of oxo-degradable plastic products. It is very important that that occupies the central place that it does in the bill. We have heard from the Deputy Leader of the Opposition in particular about the particular evils of those plastics, the misnomer being really that they degrade.

They degrade in such a way as to make them more harmful rather than less, which is a particularly insidious paradox of those particular products. I am very glad to see those playing a central role. Of course, we see in this legislation what is a relatively short list of products to be initially banned but, perhaps more importantly, the bill provides a structure by which, as it becomes feasible to do so, products that are harmful and in these categories may be added over time.

It is very important, of course, when we are talking about practical measures to improve outcomes that we avoid precipitous disruption to business. It has been made plain over this recent period that we have all experienced with these short, sharp shocks that have occurred as we have confronted the health emergency, that it is very important that, when introducing legislation that will change use of materials and change materials that are permissible, we do so in a way that is engaging business and that is steady, measured and so on.

I am pleased to see that there has been extensive consultation with business, and the advice is that there is widespread support for taking action on these plastics. I add my voice to those who have already spoken to commend the bill and to commend the direction that this now sets us on to continue our very strong legacy in this state of leading in this very important area. I commend the bill to the house.

Mr ELLIS (Narungga) (16:37): I rise, as speakers before me have done so, to speak on this important and, in many ways, groundbreaking bill to ban single-use plastics distribution and supply in this state. In doing so, I would like to take this opportunity to commend the Minister for Environment, the member for Black, for the leadership he has shown over the past two years on this topic and his considerable dedication to reaching this stage of legislative implementation after well-managed and considerable business, industry and community consultation.

To list the incidents in order, this important preparation and consultation has occurred via: the release of a single-use plastics discussion paper back in January 2019; the release of a next steps paper last July; the work that commenced last September by the appointed task force with its diverse representation involving environmental groups, business representatives, the hospitality industry, as well as disability advocates; and then the setting up of the trial Plastic Free Precincts.

This important work was thoroughly and methodically done and has ensured that all impacts of this legislation on businesses and community have been explored prior to the introduction to this place, which hopefully will result in smooth passage into law and, most importantly, provide community and business confidence during the transition period ahead of us as we put this new legislation into practice.

We are aware that other jurisdictions in our nation and around the world are watching how we have got to this point, and it is with great pride that I support the bill before us today. South Australia is again leading the nation in this work, just as it was back in 1977 when the Liberal government in this state introduced a now globally recognised container deposit scheme and just as it was on 4 May 2009, when South Australia became the first state or territory in the country to ban plastic bags at the supermarket check-out. We were leading the way then and we are continuing to make important decisions to protect our environment today.

When this legislation was first mooted in that early 2019 discussion paper released by the minister that proposed government intervention on single-use plastics, it was unclear how the community and business would react. Importantly, it was received with overwhelming support from the community, industry, local government, business and interest groups, spurring the minister on to progress and implement the valuable groundbreaking legislation before us as we speak.

For me personally, the recognition of this important work that was underway hit home in the Narungga electorate office in July 2019, when two passionate advocates against the use of plastic straws and other single-use plastics visited me. They were 10-year-old Jasmine Secker and eight-year-old Kiralee Secker from Kadina, who had persuaded their mum to drive them on the 100-kilometre round trip to my office in Maitland to see me to talk about the importance of removing plastic straws from the world.

They implored me quite persuasively on the need for locals and businesses to stop using plastic straws because of the harm they were doing to animals on land and at sea. They particularly wanted to tell me how plastic never breaks down, that every plastic straw takes 600 years to break down and, when found by birds or marine life, they can be weapons to kill, and to please stop South Australians from using them.

These two young people campaigned across the electorate, had posters printed, joined the national Straw No More campaign, went to childcare centres to talk to parents and participated in the Plastic Free July campaign, led by the Plastic Free Foundation. They told me how their family had stopped using plastic straws in 2018 and that they now also no longer used plastic bags or plastic water bottles and coffee cups. I note at this juncture that one can no longer even visit the Kadina Hotel and get a plastic straw in their Coca-Cola. That is how persuasive these two advocates have been in our electorate.

They wanted to tell me that if I have used a plastic straw it is still out there somewhere, on the ground, in the sea or in a storm drain, or it could have killed an animal. It could have been eaten by a sea animal or bird thinking it was food. It was inspiring to see such strong advocates leading the way in their community on an issue clearly close to their heart. I congratulated Jasmine and Kiralee then, as I do again today in this place, on their determination to make a difference and to educate their patch of the world against single-use plastics and, specifically, plastic straws.

As Straw No More local ambassadors, they continue to be inspired by the broader Straw No More movement and the mantra on its website homepage that informs:

More than 500 million straws are used every day in the USA alone. This is enough to wrap around planet Earth four times!

Clean Up Australia has a similar message: that Australians use about 100 million straws every day, or 3.5 billion a year, and that most are used just once for around 15 to 30 minutes, after which they are thrown away. Clean Up Australia volunteers report that plastic straws are the 12th most common item they pick up and that last clean-up day they picked up some 7,300 of them from our parks, picnic grounds, along our streets and on our beaches.

So it is little wonder that young people in my electorate have been moved to action on this and that it has been a topic of discussion led by young people in our schools. There was overwhelming demonstrated supported by the community in response to the circulation of the government's single-use plastic discussion paper, released in January 2019, to kick the process of change into action.

It is also little wonder that the stakeholder task force group established to assist with the development and implementation of this legislation was guided by public feedback its members received and that this bill before us proposes to enact the following: that, on commencement of the legislation, single-use plastic straws, cutlery and drink stirrers will be banned from sale, supply or distribution and that 12 months from the commencement date the distribution of expanded polystyrene cups, bowls, plates, clamshell containers and oxy-degradable plastic products will then also be prohibited.

I am pleased to advise that business representatives offer widespread support for taking this action and that voluntary messages are already underway to reduce their use. Large corporations are already on board, as cited by Clean Up Australia, with McDonald's replacing single-use plastic straws this year and Coca-Cola ceasing their distribution of plastic straws and stirrers last year and, globally, that the European Union announced the need for such measures back in October 2018.

Two more important notes are that the South Australian business community have advised that the cost to move away from single-use plastics has not been raised as a significant issue for them; rather, there is widespread recognition of the potential opportunities before us for businesses and enterprises to supply a growing market with the production of alternative products. Another important point is that in this well-considered legislation before us there is an exemption, making powers that will allow for the continued sale, distribution and supply of single-use plastic straws to people who require them due to disability or particular medical requirement.

Importantly, the assigned task force was aware of this consideration and included on their committee two disability representatives to ensure no adverse unforeseen impacts should arise from the implementation of the bill before us. The task force considered all impacts on businesses and the community and was directed to provide advice on what a phase-out of single-use plastic straws, cups, drink stirrers and food service items might look like.

Because of this quality preparation work, I am confident that the way ahead with this bill, should it proceed, will be a smooth transition, which will also importantly assist with the necessary communication with the community and businesses to ensure South Australia is fully updated on how these new laws will apply to them and be regulated. As stated by the minister when he launched the 'Turning the tide on single-use plastic products' discussion paper on 13 January last year, this government is keen to keep South Australia at the forefront of these areas and to maintain this position while also increasing economic activity.

Plastic is a valuable material integral to modern life, but when littered it ruins our environment's pristine image and harms marine and terrestrial life. The community is ready to take this immediate local action on items that are designed and intended for disposal after a single use, are prone to being littered, are unlikely to be recycled and for which more sustainable alternatives are available.

South Australia has been a leader in litter reduction and resource recovery for many years, and it is clear from over 3,500 submissions to that first discussion paper that there is significant community and industry support for the intent and measures addressed in this bill. With nearly 97 percent of those 3,500 submissions specifically supporting government intervention, it is clear that the community wants swift action on this. We are starting with banning plastic straws, cutlery and stirrers, and next we will soon move on to takeaway polystyrene containers and cups.

This government is committed to ensuring this state maintains its reputation as a leader in waste management and this bill befits that pledge. I wholeheartedly, on behalf of Narungga constituents young and older, commend this important bill to the house and look forward to its speedy passage through the other place.

Dr HARVEY (Newland) (16:47): I rise today to support the Single-use and Other Plastic Products (Waste Avoidance) Bill 2020. Plastics have become a serious problem for the world, there is no doubt about that. Plastics production has surged over the past 50 years, from 15 million tonnes in 1964 to 311 million tonnes in 2014, and it is expected to double again over the next 20 years as plastics serve increasingly many applications.

Currently, packaging represents 26 per cent of the total volume of plastics used globally. According to UN Environment, one million drinking bottles are purchased every minute, while up to five trillion single-use plastic bags are used worldwide every year. In total, half of all plastic produced is designed to be used only once and then thrown away.

Australians use around 10 million straws a day, equating to 700,000 per day in South Australia. At least eight million tonnes of plastics leak into the ocean each year, which is the equivalent of dumping the contents of one garbage truck into the ocean per minute. Today, about 300 million tonnes of plastic waste are produced every year, nearly equivalent to the weight of the entire human population.

The best research currently available estimates that there are over 150 million tonnes of plastics in the ocean today. If current trends continue, the ocean is expected to contain one tonne of plastic for every three tonnes of fish by 2025 and, by 2050, more plastics than fish by weight. It is therefore unsurprising that there is significant support within my community for us to do our part in helping to combat the problem of plastics waste. I have certainly been lobbied quite heavily by a number of local school students who have done projects on this problem.

I am certainly proud to be part of a government that is taking this issue seriously and is taking action. The Marshall Liberal government is committed to South Australia continuing to be the national leader in recycling and resource recovery. We see this as a key plank of the government's environmental agenda, which is focused on delivering practical, on-the-ground environmental outcomes and not just empty gestures and slogans.

As South Australians, we have a proud history of being the national leader when it comes to waste management. We were the first state or territory to introduce the container deposit scheme in 1977 and in 2017-18 we recovered almost 603 million containers, which is about 42,913 tonnes for recycling. Once again leading the nation, in 2009 South Australia became the first state or territory to ban lightweight plastic bags from supermarket check-outs.

Based on the feedback received through the public consultation, a stakeholder task force, and Plastic Free Precincts, the Single-use and Other Plastic Products (Waste Avoidance) Bill 2020 we are dealing with today was developed. The bill proposes that on commencement of the legislation, single-use plastic straws, cutlery and drinks stirrers will be banned from sale, supply or distribution. Twelve months from the commencement date, the distribution of expanded polystyrene cups, bowls, plates, clamshell containers and oxo-degradable plastic products will then be prohibited.

In view of recent events, a predetermined transition period has not been fixed in the bill but, rather, a framework that allows legislation commencement at a later date. This approach allows for the government to strike an appropriate balance between meeting the intent of existing commitments, the public will for change and the needs of business. Business representatives have advised that there is widespread support for taking action on single-use plastics and voluntary measures are already underway to reduce their use.

I certainly know that within my own community quite a large number of local small businesses, whether they be eateries or even larger businesses such as local cinemas and plenty of others, are already taking this course of action. To support businesses in the community to transition to alternative products, in the lead-up to and during implementation of the legislation Green Industries SA will be developing communication materials.

The legislation will include exemption-making powers that will allow for the continued sale, distribution and supply of single-use plastic straws to people who require them due to a disability or a particular medical requirement. These matters have been extensively worked through by the task force, which includes two disability representatives.

In terms of the time line of where we are today, in 2019 a discussion paper was released to engage South Australians on what could be included as single-use items to ban and responses to the discussion paper returned an overwhelmingly positive response. Following the positive public response, the Marshall Liberal government issued its commitment to ban a range of single-use products through legislation.

To inform the development of legislation, Green Industries SA formed a task force comprising industry, businesses, community and disability advocates. Additionally, Plastic Free Precincts have been established to include Jetty Road, Brighton, The Parade, Norwood, Adelaide Central Market and all South Australian surf lifesaving clubs, with champions at each site leading the way. The combination of the task force and Plastic Free Precincts helped shape the legislation before us today.

In closing, I thank all those who participated in the consultation process. This is certainly a very important and popular reform that is consistent with our state's proud history in this area. I commend the minister for his work on this very important topic. I commend the bill to the house.

Mr COWDREY (Colton) (16:53): I rise today to give my support to the Single-use and Other Plastic Products (Waste Avoidance) Bill 2020. As has already been discussed, on commencement the bill aims to effectively ban single-use plastic straws, cutlery and drink stirrers from sale, supply and distribution and in 12 months from the commencement date, to expand that ban to polystyrene cups, bowls, plates, clamshell containers and oxo-degradable plastic products.

Many are aware of the situation that we have been in over the previous period of time in terms of COVID-19 and the impact that that has had on the implementation and transmission of these measures. For hygiene and other reasons, we have obviously had to make some slight adjustments to that time frame. Nevertheless, it is an exciting next step as South Australia continues to lead the way in the waste avoidance space.

As many in this place have already mentioned, there is a range of statistics that is quite frightening in terms of plastic production around the world and the significant increases that have occurred over the last 30, 40 or 50 years. I think the member for Adelaide specifically referenced that, in 1964, 15 million tonnes—which sounds like a lot, even just that number—was produced but, over the proceeding 40 years, 311 million tonnes was produced.

Plastic has obviously been a material that has very quickly grown in use based on its ability to be quite well used across a number of different areas. But the issue for many, particularly in my electorate, is the movement of that plastic post use, particularly in the single-use capacity, into stormwater drains and into waterways. The electorate of Colton is at the very end of the River Torrens and the Sturt River catchment, so we probably more than any area in South Australia are very aware of what level of plastic enters our waterways in particular.

Being at the end of those catchments certainly means that, for those of us who from time to time are involved with Clean Up Australia Day or various organisations like the Henley Dunes Care Group, Landcare, the local council and a range of other organisations, which do such great work at extracting plastic that has entered those waterways, gone out to sea and then been washed ashore or through other means entered our dunes or surrounding areas, that work is absolutely essential in maintaining the water quality around that area. However, our preference is of course not to have that plastic enter in the first place.

In terms of the process of this bill and where we are today, the discussion paper that has been referenced, 'Turning the tide on single-use plastics', was released by the minister in mid-2019. It garnered a significant number of contributions to the YourSAy process, many of them positive—overwhelmingly positive, I should say—and that really led to the development of this bill. Again, this adds to our continued leadership as a state in this area.

If we only reflect on some of the earlier movements and schemes that have been put in place, I do not think many South Australians can imagine a South Australia where the container deposit scheme does not exist. It is something that has become part of our DNA and part of our way of life in many respects. I certainly do not know many of my generation who did not grow up collecting cans and ensuring we kept them aside.

It was the pocket money that everybody was able to collect at the end of a month or the end of a fortnight, depending on how much soft drink and other beverages a family consumed. Certainly, there is a very practical element to that scheme and it was very quickly picked up by many of my generation. Then, in 2009, the introduction of the lightweight plastic bag ban from our check-outs was another scheme that was quickly and well accepted by our society, particularly here in South Australia.

As somebody who travelled reasonably regularly throughout the 2010 period to go to other jurisdictions and other states, it was almost a strange experience to walk through the shopping centre with a swimming team or anyone else. We would walk through, we would go to the check-out and there would be these things that you had not seen for a number of years: plastic bags that were very readily packed by the supermarket attendants. It was something that we could not even imagine, having introduced that ban just a number of years beforehand. If we reflect, I think Queensland only banned single-use plastic bags in 2018, just two years ago.

In terms of the single-use plastics, I certainly hope that nationally the ability to catch up and to continue the direction we are moving will be taken up by other states slightly more swiftly than perhaps the single-use plastic bag ban was. As has been mentioned over the last number of months, there has been a voluntary trial of this scheme through a range of business precincts and also through the surf clubs in South Australia, something that was well accepted. As the member referenced earlier, it is something that many main streets picked up and ran with and that were very enthusiastic about. The business community has largely been very supportive of this move as well.

In my local area particularly, many businesses in some way, shape or form—particularly coffee shops and the like—had really already started to take steps in this direction, whether that was Cibo through its coffee cup recycling system that uses and transforms that waste into usable material, or whether that was changes in straw materials from metal, as the member for Gibson has very well referenced. From pasta to paper to other materials, there had certainly already been a shift in the eyes of many of our business owners to start to accommodate this.

Another issue that I just wanted to give credence to is that many of these decisions we are making are in essence for the next generation. Initiatives such as this, because they are so practical in their nature, really do resonate so well with many of our primary school-age children. I just want to briefly have a chat about some of the great work being done through a number of my local primary schools in this regard or in a similar regard.

I recently visited the Henley Beach Primary School earlier in the year, and, under the guidance of their fantastic principal, Shane Misso, I was given a very thorough walk through their waste audit process they had undertaken at the school towards the end of last year or at beginning of this year. I cannot remember the exact detail, but that process had led them to work through the rubbish that was being put into bins at the school—to sort through it, to categorise it and to better understand what they were putting into the bins.

As part of that process, they instituted a system of six or seven different bins through the school, so they had food waste bins, they had compost bins and they had recycle bins and re-use bins. The fantastic part of this was that all of those were sized to an appropriate scale and that the landfill bin, the pure waste bin, was about the size of a small water bottle. It was a very small-size box, and the challenge for those students and for those classes was to try to reduce the amount of waste that was going to landfill to fit into that cubic area at the end of every week. I look forward to coming back to the school in future weeks and seeing how they have got on with accepting and benefiting from that challenge.

Another school in my electorate that does fantastic work in this area is the Star of the Sea at Henley Beach. It is the home of the Marine Discovery Centre, and for obvious reasons their interest in our coast and our marine life is (a) because of their location and (b) because of the interest, support and advocacy they have instilled through the Marine Discovery Centre. I should at this stage reference their soon to be retired principal, Joe De Tullio, who has been a stalwart at the school for many years and who has been a great advocate for the Marine Discovery Centre over that period of time as well.

It is a fantastic centre that takes schoolkids from all over South Australia through an interactive marine experience. They are shown and have the ability to touch and interact with marine life. They are provided insights into Kaurna heritage in the area and the importance of the Torrens catchment to the Kaurna people. They also learn about the impact of putting waste into stormwater and wastewater, something that is particularly important—again, not necessarily for the people in the suburbs closer to the beach. I think there is a heightened sense of understanding around that from the children in that area.

It is for those from the eastern suburbs, the northern suburbs, to understand how the catchment process works, to understand how putting waste into our stormwater, into our wastewater, into our river system, from the very top does have a consequence as it winds its way down towards the beach. They do a fantastic job there. I am sure they will be very keen to welcome back groups of students to the Marine Discovery Centre as soon as it becomes something that we can do in our post-COVID world.

Another school I wanted to reference is Fulham North Primary School, whose year 7s, under their teacher, Ms Berno, are currently doing some work on the UN Sustainable Development Goals. As part of that, the year 7s have broken into a number of groups to undertake some projects. One of the groups, pleasingly—they are always one step in front of the government perhaps—has looked into eliminating single-use plastics entirely from the school canteen. Their hypothesis is that they will save $625 per year and also reduce waste through their school canteen.

They have a second group that is establishing more nude food activities to encourage families to use less plastic wrap in their school lunches. There are some great activities. As I say, the practical nature of this reform is something that really resonates with our youth and something that I think will be taken on and supported well into the future. Many other schools through the area—and I am certainly aware of Henley High School and, I am sure, all schools in the area—are doing similar activities in this space.

The connection of this bill and the impacts it will hopefully see also tie in, as I have said previously, to my local area. Breakout Creek, we are very pleased to see, has received the final amount of funding necessary to see the last stage upgraded in 1999. The stage of the River Torrens upstream of Henley Beach Road was upgraded in 2010 or thereabouts, the section between Henley Beach Road and Tapleys Hill Road, and now to see that final stage reach the same level as those two previous ones I think is very exciting for our community over the coming months.

It is also important to understand, from a local perspective, how much of an impact single-use plastics have in terms of our local environment. We have talked about it from a practical perspective, where they work their way down. Each and every year, one of the things that Clean Up Australia Day and others are tasked with is, I am sure many are unaware, cleaning Breakout Creek towards the Torrens just before the end of the Torrens at the outlet before it breaks into the gulf at the bottom of the Sturt River before it enters the Patawalonga.

There is essentially a large boom or grate or filter system—I am probably not going to use the absolutely correct language in describing it—that stops as best as it possibly can plastic and waste entering those waterways. To see the sheer volume that is collected there each year is somewhat frightening. It really does hit home. I would love everyone to in some way see the level of waste that is collected. I must say that plastics are generally very high on the list of materials we remove from there each and every year as well. To take another step to reduce the waste that is collected at those points can only be helpful for the quality of the water and a range of other things—wildlife, etc.—in that area.

This policy also ties very well into the broader Marshall Liberal government's policies around improving our coastal areas, whether it be seagrass restoration, securing Adelaide's metropolitan coastline or just last week the announcement relating to the limestone shellfish reef off Glenelg. Improving our waterways and improving and minimising the amount of plastic and waste that enters these systems is absolutely crucial. All these policies are designed to improve our coastal areas over time, and I am certainly incredibly supportive of that.

As we have said, there are other things that are done in the broader resource recovery sector, and there are business and economic opportunities that come along with that. Certainly from a council perspective, depot drop-offs of certain household items that can have resources recovered from them have been a great improvement. As the member for Narungga touched on, being a leader in this space does provide economic opportunity.

An opportunity for our businesses and entrepreneurs to develop and manufacture some of the alternatives to the products that are currently in circulation is something we should be very focused on more broadly as a business community because taking these first steps, and being an early adopter, provides us with an opportunity that other jurisdictions potentially may not have. As we reflected earlier, to see that Queensland only adopted the banning of single-use plastic bags two years ago serves as a reminder of the opportunity we potentially have here in South Australia.

With those remarks, I certainly add my wholehearted support to the bill proposed. I think that as a state and as a community and for our environment we are ready to take the next step in this journey we are on.

Mr PATTERSON (Morphett) (17:11): I also take this opportunity in parliament today to speak about the Single-use and Other Plastic Products (Waste Avoidance) Bill 2020 and indicate my support for this measure being introduced here into South Australia. It will be the first jurisdiction in Australia to take up banning single-use plastics. That will certainly benefit and improve the environment throughout South Australia but, importantly, in my coastal electorate of Morphett, principally the suburbs of Glenelg, Glenelg South and Somerton Park, and also other suburbs that are quite close to the coastline.

There is no doubt, though, that plastics do play a very important role in our economy and in our daily lives. Even in food packaging, plastic has been used to help with food safety and to reduce food wastage but, unfortunately, too often the way these plastics are produced, used and then disposed of, ends up harming our environment. It is this harm to the environment that this waste avoidance bill sets out to eliminate.

It does so in a number of ways: by providing restrictions and prohibition on certain single-use plastics; by promoting and supporting better waste management practices, with one of the aims being the reduction of marine litter; by promoting the principles of the waste management hierarchy, that is, to avoid using it in the first instance and to re-use, recycle, recover and, at worst, dispose of; and by looking to promote the principles of the circular economy.

As I said before, plastics are a very versatile material. They are very easy to shape into basically any particular shape that is necessary, so that makes them very versatile and, at the same time, very durable. This durability and also the low cost that goes into producing plastics have resulted in a massive increase in the types and quantity of products made with plastic and, therefore, what happens with their use in recent decades.

Others have mentioned previously in this debate that, going back to the sixties, there was about 15 million tonnes of plastic produced. Fast-forward 50 years and we are now looking at 310 million tonnes, and of course this is increasing year on year as plastic is produced through the world. The majority of this plastic is produced using fossil fuels and, as a comparison, it accounts for about 6 per cent of overall fossil fuel use on an annual basis. It compares similarly with the amount of fossil fuels and oil used in the aviation sector.

In terms of the durability of these plastics, unfortunately what that means is that a great percentage of the plastic that has been produced since the sixties, seventies and eighties is still in existence today; however, that plastic product is no longer used anymore. It is past its use-by date, so of course it ends up in waste, and that is in the controlled waste streams or, unfortunately, a vast majority of it is ending up in our natural environment as well, and then from that it is not only land-based but also finding its way into our oceans.

We hear about the great Pacific vortex, which is this conglomeration of plastics that has found its way in through the eddies and is growing in size year on year. About eight million tonnes, in fact, of plastic each year finds its way into the oceans. Unfortunately, a lot of this has come from developed nations where they are really latching onto the use of plastics. The plastics are cheap, but unfortunately they do not have the waste management infrastructure that we are lucky to have here in our developed nation, so of course it finds its way into the environment, unfortunately.

Much of that eight million tonnes is coming from Asia and a lot of developing nations there. I think 3.5 million tonnes of plastic waste per year comes from China, 1.3 million tonnes from Indonesia, and about 0.75 million tonnes from both Philippines and Vietnam. It is a massive problem in our part of the world as well. To put it in perspective, that is equivalent to dumping a garbage truck each minute of this waste. Realistically, estimates are by 2050 the weight of plastic in the ocean will be more than the weight of fish in the ocean. It is imperative that we act, I suppose, and be a leader, but out of that be able to encourage other jurisdictions to act as well.

If we could just touch on the different types of plastic and single-use plastics that have surged in their use in recent years, these have included snack bags and confectionery wrappers, takeaway drink cups and their lids, straws, drink stirrers, drink bottles and their caps and lids, and other sorts of food containers as well, and of course plastic bags not so much here in South Australia but certainly in other parts of the world. A lot of these single-use items are used for beverages and food and if they do not end up in bins, if they are not disposed of correctly, they end up as litter as well.

Unfortunately, much of this litter, while it might start off on the ground, ends up getting washed via drains into our stormwater and then unfortunately gets put into the ocean. In terms of how that plays out in Adelaide, I will mention the Sturt Creek and how that runs through. It starts off in the Hills but eventually makes its way through to Glenelg. If you start off at the source there up in the Coromandel Valley in Upper Sturt, you have pristine water, it is litter free, but as you follow the path of the Sturt Creek down, as you start going through housing, you start seeing small levels of litter and waste appearing in the creek there.

Eventually, the creek passes through into Marion and becomes a concrete drain, effectively, which was done early days for flood mitigation but of course really speeds up the passage of water through the Sturt Creek that starts coming up through Marion. It then goes into Morphettville, Glengowrie and Novar Gardens before emptying into the Patawalonga just near the airport at Tapleys Hill Road. I do not know whether it was by coincidence or whatever, but the Brownhill Creek also winds its way through other suburbs before eventually the confluence of the Sturt Creek and the Brownhill Creek comes together in Glenelg North.

The member for Colton quite rightly mentioned there is the weir at Glenelg North and before that weir there is a just a floating barrier to try to capture as much of this waste that is being carried down as possible. It is pretty much a cesspit of waste on many occasions, a lot of it plastic, a lot of it single use. Most of it is trapped but unfortunately some of it does find its way into the ocean, and any other stormwater in the coastal electorate of Morphett as well can find its way into the coast. When we do Clean Up Australia Day a lot of time I do it along the beach.

In March this year, I ran my own event there. There was a spot in Somerton Park that was not being covered by Clean Up Australia Day. Thank you to all the volunteers who came along and assisted in cleaning up. We started at Glenelg South and half of the group went south towards Somerton Park and Glenelg South, and the other half went north up towards the jetty at Glenelg. The common types of waste that are picked up are cigarette butts, straws and bottle caps, as well as some disposable cutlery.

As a surf lifesaver, when I am out in the rubber duck I do notice plastic floating in the ocean or making its way onto the coastline. Unfortunately, this plastic gets mistaken as a jellyfish and the like, so the marine fish and seabirds swoop down and ingest it. It finds its way into their stomachs, which is not a great result at all. Certainly, the children in my electorate are onto it and are really passionate about this.

One of the schools, Immanuel Primary School, over the last few years has invited me to their year 6 expo. I thank the principal, Bec Clements, for that, as well as teachers Nathan Berry, Melanie McDonald, Holly Fouyaxis and Sarah Nash. They really guide those students, and it is amazing how globally aware they are. They split up into small groups and they focus on the 17 United Nations sustainable development goals, so each of those small groups looks at one of the goals in particular. They identify solutions not just for our local area but also on a global scale. I think goal No. 12 focuses on responsible consumption and production patterns. This is exactly what this single-use waste avoidance bill really sets out to achieve.

Additionally, sustainable goal No. 14 focuses on life below water. This includes a target that by 2025 we significantly reduce marine pollution of all kinds, in particular from land-based activities, including marine debris and nutrient pollution. Last year, when I went along the group of students that was looking at this area had a water-filled undersea diorama that had bits of plastic floating in it, showing what the problem was but also coming up with solutions. One of those solutions was to avoid using straws. Again, they were looking to eliminate those and seeing if they could eliminate them out of their canteen as well.

That is certainly why I am very pleased to support the introduction of the Single-use and Other Plastics (Waste Avoidance) Bill 2020 here in South Australia. It is a bill that will prohibit the sale and supply of certain single-use plastic products and, in so doing, further protect the environment from the urgent problem of plastics pollution. It will certainly be a recognition of the concerns of those young students at Immanuel Primary School but also so many others across the state that they are being listened to by their elected members of parliament and, importantly, that we are taking practical action to benefit the environment that they will grow up in.

It is not tokenism and not promises but actual action, and I think that is a hallmark of what this Marshall government is doing. It is taking practical action. The way we are doing that in this case is that we are moving away from the take, make and dispose consumption model and looking to one that looks to return those materials back into the economy, participate in the circular economy or, in this case, eliminate single-use plastics. There are a lot of them. We are looking to be sustainable as we do this.

I talked about plastic straws. It is one thing to eliminate them, but we have to make sure that before we eliminate any of these single-use plastic products there is an alternative. Certainly, with straws there are alternatives. The members for Gibson and Heysen mentioned the ability for metal straws to be used. Again, my daughter has a metal straw that she uses, which is a way of eliminating them. The technology in terms of paper straws and cardboard straws as well has come a long way and is certainly a viable option.

In terms of plastic cutlery, we are now seeing compostable varieties, such as those made from bamboo and wood. There are certainly possibilities for businesses to use and replace, but not totally eliminate, that service offering for their customers. It is of course important that we consult with businesses and listen to their concerns, and that is exactly what is being done in this case. Another way to iron out any problems was to have a plastic-free pilot program, which was run in four precincts from 30 September 2019. One area was very close to the Morphett electorate, in Brighton. The member for Gibson spoke glowingly about what they were doing at Jetty Road, Brighton. The trial was also run in lifesaving clubs across South Australia, including the Glenelg Surf Life Saving Club.

They were looking to eliminate and move away from plastic straws and disposable cutlery and to show that businesses could continue without any disruption. I should also mention The Parade in Norwood and the Adelaide Central Market were also involved. The trial ran until 31 March, with 46 businesses participating, and 38,324 pieces of plastic were eliminated. It was a hugely successful pilot and it gives us great confidence as we move forward. It was not just these plastic-free precincts; other businesses looked to voluntarily take part. In November, thanks to the fantastic work of the Rotary Club of Glenelg, they gave out 2,000 paper straws to businesses on Jetty Road, Glenelg to encourage them to eliminate plastic straws. This was hugely successful.

In relation to the use of compostable materials, during a time when there is a lot of takeaway instead of dining in, the Seafaring Fools on Broadway in Glenelg South have looked to use compostable coffee cups and lids. They deserve a pat on the back. Businesses are voluntarily looking to do this.

Turning to the specifics of the bill, I will look at a few definitions. In part 3, the bill defines a plastic product as 'a product that is comprised in whole or part of plastic'. That way, even if a product only has part plastic, it is still covered by this definition. Plastic has been defined as 'a material made from, or comprising, organic polymers, whether plant extracts or of fossil fuel origin'. It also defines oxo-degradable plastic as:

…a material…made of plastic which includes additives to accelerate the fragmentation of the material into smaller pieces, triggered by ultraviolet radiation or heat exposure, whether or not this is…followed by partial or complete breakdown of the material by microbial action;

The reason I talk about this is to outline the differences in biodegradable and oxo-degradable plastics, to the extent that they degrade or biodegrade through natural processes, and whether this will eliminate them from accumulating in the environment or, in fact, contribute to accumulation of plastics in the environment.

In terms of the use of fossil fuels to create plastic products compared to some of the more natural processes—polylactic acid plastic is a natural polymer that means plastic can be produced through sugar cane or corn. There is some talk about whether this is a possibility because it degrades and biodegrades to benign chemicals during industrial compostable processes. It seems encouraging on face value; unfortunately, the industrial composability of this plastic requires high temperatures and humidity to break down the bonds and allow it to biodegrade.

Unfortunately, when this plastic gets into the natural environment, whether it goes into soil, sediments or even water, the conditions to break down and biodegrade are not there. Unfortunately, this plastic ends up like fossil fuel-based plastic and becomes environmental litter. The European parliament looked at this and thought that single-use PLA products should be treated in the same way as fossil fuel-derived single-use plastic products because of that.

The South Australian government has also adopted this precautionary approach in relation to its definition of plastic. At this stage, plastic, whether it is fossil fuel based or plant based has been caught up as a single-use plastic product. Further, when we look at oxo-degradable, as I mentioned, these rely on ultraviolet radiation to break down, but unfortunately all they do is break down into smaller pieces and produce micro and nano plastics that linger in the environment. Maybe they break down over hundreds or thousands of years, but certainly in the time frame we are looking at, the lifespan of animals, which unfortunately end up ingesting them, this is certainly too long. It causes confusion in the community and I think the sensible option that the minister and this legislation look at is to prohibit them.

In terms of single use, the definition says that it is a product design intended to be used once or for a limited number of times before being disposed of. That gets around labelling, where a producer of this might label it as multiuse, but realistically it is only going to be used once, maybe twice, and then disposed of.

To confirm what is prohibited in the sale, supply and distribution of plastics, we have single-use plastic drinking straws, single-use plastic cutlery, single-use plastic drink stirrers and then moving on to expanded polystyrene cups, bowls, plates and clamshell containers. Moving forward, there is the possibility in regulation for other products to be added. It would have to be consulted on over at least an eight-week period, specifying what is going to be prohibited, why it is going to be prohibited and what alternatives are available.

I would love to speak more on this, as it is a fantastic bill, but time is running out. I finish by confirming that the Marshall Liberal government is acting to address the urgent problem of plastic pollution by prohibiting the sale and supply of single-use plastics. It is much welcomed in the electorate of Morphett, being a coastal electorate, and I commend the bill.

Ms LUETHEN (King) (17:31): I rise to support the bill because our Marshall Liberal government plan is delivering in a practical and sustainable way for our environment, and the environment certainly matters.

In my King electorate office in Golden Grove, I proudly have displayed the environmental posters which Golden Grove High School students have made and presented to me and which demonstrate their strong views on how much the environment matters to them. One poster says, 'The earth is not recyclable. Save the one we have.' This is such an important statement, so important that I have recently added this student's picture and poster to my birthday cards that I send out to the electorate, as I am so proud of this message from Golden Grove High School student Bella Walden.

I am proud that South Australia is leading the nation on tackling climate change, that we are leading the nation on renewable energy with the most ambitious plan to slash emissions and that we are the first state to progress banning single-use plastics. The Marshall Liberal government is committed to South Australia continuing to be the nation leader in recycling and resource recovery. We see this as a key plank of the government's environmental agenda, which is focused on delivering practical on-the-ground environmental outcomes, not just empty gestures and slogans.

As South Australians, we have a proud history of being the national leader when it comes to waste management. We were the first state or territory to introduce the container deposit scheme in 1977, and in 2017-18 we recovered almost 603 million containers for recycling. Once again, leading the nation, in 2009 South Australia became the first state or territory to ban lightweight plastic bags from supermarket check-outs.

The Single-use and Other Plastic Products (Waste Avoidance) Bill 2020 has been developed taking into account the feedback received through public consultation, a stakeholder task force and the Plastic Free Precincts pilots in South Australia. The bill proposes that on commencement of the legislation, single-use plastic straws, cutlery and drink stirrers will be banned from sale, supply or distribution. Twelve months from the commencement date, the distribution of expanded polystyrene cups, bowls, plates, clamshell containers and oxo-degradable plastic products will then be prohibited.

When we widely consulted businesses, business representatives advised us there is widespread support for taking action on single-use plastics, and voluntary measures are already underway to reduce their use. To further support businesses and the community to transition to alternative products in the lead-up and during the implementation of the legislation, Green Industries SA will be developing communication materials. The legislation will include exemption-making powers that will allow for the continued sale, distribution and supply of single-use plastic straws to people who require them due to a disability or particular medical requirement.

These matters have been extensively worked through by the task force, which includes two disability representatives. As a recap of the time line of events to date, in 2019, a discussion paper was released to engage South Australians on what could be included as single-use items to ban. Responses to the discussion paper returned an overwhelmingly positive response. Following the positive public response, the Marshall Liberal government issued its commitment to ban a range of single-use products through legislation planned for 2020.

To inform the development of the legislation, Green Industries SA has formed a task force comprising industry, businesses, community and disability advocates. Additionally, Plastic Free Precincts were also established: Jetty Road, Brighton; The Parade, Norwood; Adelaide Central Markets; and all SA surf lifesaving clubs, with champions at each site leading the way. The combination of the task force and Plastic Free Precincts helped shape the draft legislation, which has been introduced into parliament.

This really is a policy that is timely and it is a policy laden with opportunity for our state. We know that this policy has sent a substantial market signal to South Australian businesses and businesses at a national level, as well, a market signal that says to these businesses and other businesses, 'Come to South Australia, the place that is the manufacturing epicentre for alternatives to single-use plastics.' We already know that this is happening. We know that businesses here in South Australia and businesses interstate are looking to South Australia because of this leadership.

We know that this is a policy that has the capacity and the potential to stimulate innovation. We know that programs like the program we are running in partnership with Innovyz, the start-up and entrepreneurial organisation, are identifying start-up businesses that are undertaking research and development and product development in this space. They are providing them with the support to create jobs, get alternatives to single-use plastics, find alternatives to get other forms of tricky and troublesome waste out of South Australia and find ways to replace them in ways that create jobs here for South Australians.

We have Green Industries SA's support sitting alongside industry in South Australia, particularly through the grants program. In December, $3.3 million worth of recycling infrastructure grants were awarded to 20 projects. That will create 30.5 full-time equivalent jobs, and they will not be one-off jobs: they will be sustained into the future. That is because of the $3.3 million in grants that we provided to innovative organisations to come up with new waste solutions. We also know that the grants scheme will provide $9.6 million across the total value of projects and will divert almost 19,000 tonnes per annum of waste from landfill. Our single-use plastic ban is absolutely leading the way.

Earlier on, in May, I socialised this bill in King and I was grateful to receive valuable feedback, support and questions from local constituents. Skye Martine commented that it was interesting to hear that SA Health had proposed cafes and restaurants could use throwaway cutlery during the pandemic. It was great to read her comments, suggesting that surely there is a better way. This is how we have to be to continue to think in SA to make SA a leader in recycling and resource recovery. Well done, Skye. Alan Anwar said:

Good idea Paula, but that could hinder peoples jobs, and affect the manufacturing, I would tackle the problem different way, I would fund for research, how to recycle single use plastic into products that we will benefit off, as well as create more jobs for the might SA people.

I thank Alan for contributing his thoughts to this important conversation and his suggestions. I hope that my speech today will provide more information on the approach that has been taken by our minister and by our government and the task force before this bill was drafted.

I am pleased that the banning of single-use plastic products was piloted through voluntary business retailer-led Plastic Free Precincts to identify opportunities and challenges associated with transitioning a way from single-use plastics and to inform the legislation. The minister said that a discussion paper released received strong feedback from South Australians. The minister said that it was clear from more than 3,500 submissions that there is significant community and industry support for increased measures to address a range of single-use plastic products and other items.

Nearly 99 per cent of respondents recognise the environmental problems associated with single-use plastics, and nearly 97 per cent supported government intervention. I agree with Alan: I would like to see further attention given to South Australia coming up with more solutions to recycling more of the products that cannot be recycled today. I think it is also important to educate our community on what these products are right now, and I thank Ben from Statewide Recycling for the tour he took me on to learn more about which containers today can and cannot be easily recycled.

Lastly, in wrapping up I would like to touch on the great news that South Australia's waste management and recycling sector will get a $1.7 million boost with the Marshall Liberal government approving a range of projects to help reduce the amount of household waste sent to landfill. The funding delivered through Green Industries SA will assist councils to upgrade and modernise waste collection and recycling services to increase the kerbside diversion rate through innovation and approved efficiencies.

The Minister for Environment and Water said that the $1.7 million is for three programs: one to reduce food waste sent to landfill, another to help councils modernise their collection systems, and the other is for regional council transport subsidies. Improved waste management is not only good for the environment but also it contributes to South Australia's economic growth by creating jobs and developing new business opportunities to recycle and re-use our resources right here in South Australia.

The single largest remaining area for improvement in council kerbside systems is food waste, which makes up 40 per cent of the weight of household residual waste bins sent to landfill. By supporting councils to improve their collection of food waste, we can also lower waste management costs, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and create a valuable resource like compost. In King, we have three councils managing waste, and I wish to congratulate the City of Tea Tree Gully, which continues to make progress in waste management, recycling, the 'which bin' education and the reduction in waste going to landfill.

The City of Tea Tree Gully has made it easy to get hold of the free mini muncher kitchen caddies and their bags, which has seen them become very popular in King households in Golden Grove, Greenwith and Surrey Downs. My 10-year-old son, Max, had great fun setting up our bins in our house and putting the stickers that Tea Tree Gully provided on our different bins, and he said, 'Well done, Tea Tree Gully' when he was finished setting up our home 'which bin' system.

I strongly encourage all other councils to take advantage of the Liberal state government's funding programs to make it easy for households and as cost effective as possible for households to get involved in household recycling programs. I thank the Minister for Environment and Water for his work to produce this bill and his commitment to a range of practical environmental projects, which are helping South Australia lead the way in recycling, in greening South Australia and in getting our community back into nature, and I commend this bill to the house.

Mrs POWER (Elder) (17:44): I rise to add my contribution to this bill and to show my support for this forward-thinking legislation that seeks to reduce waste and help protect our beautiful environment for future generations. I sought feedback from my residents, whose responses overwhelmingly support a ban on single-use plastics such as what is proposed in this bill. With at least eight million tonnes of plastics ending up in the ocean each year, public awareness about the damage plastics cause to our environment is growing. This legislation is refreshing in that it seeks to take responsibility for addressing an environmental issue that does not neatly sit within jurisdictional borders.

If no leadership is taken now to reduce our single-use plastics waste, future generations may not have the opportunity to experience our environment as we do today, or even as we did as children growing up. According to Green Industries South Australia, the amount of plastics ending up in the ocean is equivalent to dumping the contents of a garbage truck each minute. If the current trends continue, by 2050 there will be more plastics in the ocean than fish. This is just such a frightening, depressing, shocking thought.

However, many in our communities do actively seek and advocate for ways to avoid single-use plastics by reducing, re-using and recycling. I commend those people who shape their lifestyles out of concern for our planet, who make every effort and change their habits for the benefit of our environment. Now is the appropriate time to see these actions supported in legislation.

I know many who wish to make better choices. However, in a society where even some of our vegetables come individually wrapped in plastic, people can be dismayed at the extensive use of plastics and the difficulty involved in avoiding them. Through legislative change, we are able to support South Australians to have far greater accessibility and choice of products to help reduce plastic waste.

It can be argued that the wide support for this bill is based on its commonsense approach to reduce waste and benefit the environment. The aims of the bill are simple: provide for the restriction of certain single-use and other plastic products; promote and support better waste management practices, including the reduction of marine litter; promote and support the principles of the waste management hierarchy; and promote and support the principles of the circular economy.

In some of the feedback received from local residents about this, they shared their views in support of removing plastics and packaging from vegetables; encouraging companies to use recyclable packaging; providing more education for green bin waste, so less goes to landfill; and implementing a single-use plastics ban not just in our own state but globally. It just goes to show how much support there is out there for the legislation we are discussing today, which the Marshall Liberal government introduced into parliament.

This bill seeks to prohibit in South Australia single-use plastic drinking straws, single-use plastic knives and forks, single-use plastic beverage stirrers, cups, bowls and plates and other polystyrene clamshell food containers. Removing these single-use options encourages companies, businesses and individuals to make better choices towards more recyclable, biodegradable packaging options. Making these small measures in our day-to-day life will, I have no doubt, make a monumental difference to our environmental footprint and hopefully pave the way for other jurisdictions to implement similar legislation.

With the combined effort of government initiatives and the actions of mindful citizens, we can do more than just simply reduce our environmental footprint; we can support it to thrive. This legislation reflects the many environmentally minded actions that are making a difference in our communities. I would like to acknowledge a couple of local cafes I know in the heart of Colonel Light Gardens, including Bond and Lane and the Local Crowd cafe, both of which support locals who come in to use their keep cup. They also sell keep cups there, or Frank Green cups—whatever you want to call them. They are very, very supportive of environmentally minded citizens.

Another consistent theme I also received in feedback from local residents in regard to this legislation is support for also banning plastic-lined coffee cups. Green Industries SA has identified that plastic-lined coffee cups are included in a range of single-use items that require further analysis and consultation prior to the consideration of phase-out. However, the combined small actions of many citizens and local businesses are already creating a huge reduction in waste.

The take-up of re-usable coffee cups has had a significant impact on the public consciousness of waste and the importance of reducing our single-use waste. As I mentioned, it is not only our local cafes in the electorate of Elder that are doing their part; a number of locals shared their stories with me in response to the consultation I undertook regarding this legislation. One lady shared with me that she has been using her re-usable coffee cup since 2014 and that she drinks a coffee most weekdays. With the simple re-use of one keep cup, she estimates she has saved over 1,200 takeaway coffee cups. It is absolutely mind-blowing. If just 10 people do the same, that is 12,000 less cups in landfill. Small actions made consistently make big outcomes for our environment.

While the current COVID-19 conditions have impacted the use of keep cups and other biodegradable options, I encourage people to make use of keep cups when it is safe to do so again. Together with the combined efforts of sustainably minded citizens, more environmentally friendly choices and legislation that has been introduced in this parliament to support waste reduction, we can all work together to make a significant difference. I commend the bill to the house.

Debate adjourned on motion of Mr Pederick.


At 17:51 the house adjourned until Thursday 4 June 2020 at 11:00.


PARLIAMENTARY BUSINESS
MEMBERS
GET INVOLVED
ABOUT PARLIAMENT
VISIT
LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY
CONTACT