新南威尔士州塑料改革：2028年起外带咖啡杯须可回收，餐饮与活动业不受禁令
NSW plastic reforms: What they mean for hospitality and events
新南威尔士州通过的第二阶段塑料改革确认外带咖啡杯不会被禁用，但从2028年起须做到可回收，咖啡馆堂食需提供马克杯或玻璃杯并接受顾客自带杯。改革还包括2030年前酱油鱼形容器须可回收、政府将从最早明年起在体育场等政府场馆开展可重复使用包装试点；新州环境部长Penny Sharpe称这是该州一代以来最大规模的问题塑料改革。
When the reforms were announced last week, there was initial confusion about what the changes mean for businesses that use takeaway coffee cups.
The government has confirmed these will not be banned, instead the reforms aim to make it easier for people to recycle coffee cups or use a reusable cup if they choose.
The government says more than 800,000 tonnes of plastic waste is sent to NSW landfill each year.
It is also predicted that without action there will be more plastic in the sea than fish by 2050.
Changes for hospitality businesses
- From 2028, single-use coffee cups will need to be recyclable. They are not being banned.
- Cafes will need to offer a mug or glass when customers are dining in instead of a takeaway cup – and accept keep-cups for takeaway.
- Voluntary reusable cup schemes will be introduced, allowing people to borrow a keep-cup. This will not be mandatory for small businesses.
- Soy sauce fish containers will need to be recyclable by 2030.
NSW Minister for the Environment Penny Sharpe says the days of unnecessary plastics being handed out, thrown away and left to pollute the environment are coming to an end.
“The legislation we’ve just passed contains the biggest reforms of problematic plastics in a generation, and it has been designed in partnership with businesses and industries to support a smooth transition to reusable alternatives,” she says.
“Our wildlife, our waterways and our health will benefit from these changes.”
As part of the reforms, the government will run reuse trials from as early as next year.
Government-owned venues, including stadiums and office buildings, will offer beverages and takeaway food in reusable packaging that is designed to be returned, washed and reused.
Reuse models already exist in several places in NSW, including Barangaroo, at some festivals and in some stadiums.
The reforms form phase two of the NSW plastics ban, with initial changes under the first phase having been implemented since 2022.
This includes initiatives such as banning lightweight plastic shopping bags, single-use plastic straws, stirrers, cutlery, plates and bowls.
Phase two includes initiatives such as phasing out plastic bread tags and pizza savers from late 2027; phasing out non-compostable plastic fruit and vegetable stickers by 2030; and introducing caps and lids on plastic bottles that remain attached to the bottle itself by 2030.
The reforms also require the redesign of takeaway food containers – such as plastic bowls with lids, bento boxes and sushi trays – to ensure they can be recycled safely.
This story originally appeared in Hospitality Magazine.
Photo at top: iStock/Maksym Belchenko.
来源：Spice News · spicenews.com.au