By Aidan Wondracz and Ashlea Knickel For Daily Mail Australia

Published: 22:59 EDT, 28 August 2022 | Updated: 00:14 EDT, 29 August 2022

NSW residents will be fined $11,000 if they are caught supplying, selling or giving away a range of single-use plastic items from November.

The state government is banning several products within a matter of months and threatening heavy fines to residents and businesses who break the new laws and continue to use them.

Plastic straws, stirrers, cutlery, plates, bowls and cotton buds are among the items that will be banned.

Individuals caught distributing the items will be fined $11,000, businesses will be slapped with a $55,000 fine while manufacturers could be hit with a $110,000 fine.

NSW residents will be fined $11,000 if they are caught supplying, selling or giving away a range of single-use plastic items from November 

Individuals caught ignoring the ban will be fined $11,000 while businesses will be slapped with a $55,000 fine while manufacturers could be hit with a $110,000 fine (stock image)

The ban on single-use items is part of the state government's plan to eliminate plastic through its Plastic Reduction and Circular Economy Act.

The Act was passed in November 2021 and has slowly been reducing plastic waste in the state with lightweight plastic bags banned in June 2022. 

Environment Minister James Griffin labelled single-use plastics an environmental disaster.

'Single-use plastic items and packaging make up 60 per cent of all litter in NSW,' he said.

'The bans will prevent almost 2.7 billion items of plastic litter from entering the environment in NSW over the next 20 years.

'These bans require businesses, many of which are in hospitality and retail, to change their supply chains, and I'm pleased to see so many have already moved away from plastic items well before the additional bans come into place in November.'

The ban will take effect from November 1 and see all venues in NSW, including charities, barred from providing the barred items.

Businesses could also have their reputation damaged with the NSW Environment Protection Authority publishing all compliance notices, convictions and penalty notices on a public register.

Single-use cutlery, stirrers, bowls, plates, straws and polystyrene containers will be banned in NSW from November 1

Businesses caught using single-use plastics, like plastic cutlery, risk fines up to $55,000

It also prohibits compostable plastics and bioplastics because they cannot break down outside of commercial composting facilities.

Sydney City Council recommended businesses switch to re-usable products for customers who dine in-store and use bamboo or paper alternatives.

The council also suggested businesses charge customers for all single-use products to help further reduce waste.

The NSW Government passed the Plastic Reduction and Circular Economy Act in November 2021.

Under the act, lightweight plastic bags were banned in the state on June 1.

Single-use plastics were next on the list with a range of items to be banned from November 1.

Below is a list of items that will be banned.

- Plastic straws, stirrers, cutlery, plates, bowls and cotton buds

- Food ware and cups made from expanded polystyrene

- Rinse-off personal care products containing plastic microbeads

Individuals caught distributing the banned items will be fined $11,000 while businesses will be slapped with a $55,000 fine. 

Source: Hunt and Hunt Lawyers 

While most of the bans will primarily affect the hospitality sector, the ban on plastic cotton buds will target the beauty industry.

Instead of using plastic cotton buds, typically used in the industry to clean up dyes, the NSW Government recommends businesses use paper or bamboo-based products.

Individuals are encouraged to consider using reusable silicone earbuds.

The ban initially was set to include the probation of paper-based products with a plastic lining, but a two-year exemption will see them continue in circulation until October 31, 2024.

The NSW Government based the staged rollout of the ban on which items were most often littered, and claimed it will prevent 2.7 billion plastic products from entering the environment.

The ban does not include single-use plastic bowls with spill-proof lids, serving utensils, pre-packaged items (like plastic straws attached to juices) and foam crates used to transport raw food (like seafood and meat).

People with medical needs are exempt from the ban.

The previous phase on June 1 saw lightweight plastic bags banned from use in NSW.

The ban excluded reusable plastic bags, bin bags, produce bags, medical plastics and animal waste bags.

Takeaway shops told Daily Mail Australia the change had both positives and negatives, admitting that it would be 'annoying' even though they're happy to support the major environmental reform.

'It's good for the environment but it is going to be a little bit annoying for us,' said Yui, who works at the Japanese Noodle shop Gumshara in Sydney's Haymarket.

The NSW Government's last ban on June 1 saw the use of lightweight plastic bags prohibited, with customers required to use 'heavyweight' reusable bags

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