Reducing plastic use for business

Ways to reduce single-use plastics in your business

Making the switch away from single-use plastics can:

benefit your business.
attract new customers.
protect the environment.

Here are some tips for reducing single-use plastics in your business:

Brainstorm with your staff about ways you can reduce single-use plastics and make a plan.
Think about what you are giving out. What plastic products or packaging can you remove, reduce or replace with sustainable options? Talk with your suppliers about the alternatives they offer.
Ask customers to bring in their own reusable coffee cups, takeaway containers and bags.
Spread the word and get your customers on board. The more people who are aware of the issue and the solutions, the bigger the impact! This can include social media content and shop signage.

Ban on single-use plastics

From 1 February 2023, the Victorian Government banned single-use plastics for sale or supply throughout Victoria. This ban aims to protect Victoria’s rivers, waterways and oceans from plastic pollution.

The ban includes:

Plastic straws, plates, cutlery and drink stirrers
Cotton bud sticks
Polystyrene containers.

Single-use plastic straws will remain available for people who need them due to a disability or for medical reasons.

You can find more information about the ban on the Sustainability Victoria website and on the Victorian Government website.

How to adapt to the ban

You can:

avoid ordering banned single-use plastic items
avoid single-use packaging where possible
speak with your packaging supplier to discuss alternatives for your next order – consider alternatives made from materials such as bamboo, wood or paper (Forest Stewardship Council certified where applicable).

Avoiding single-use plastics is the cheapest and simplest option you can take. Where avoidance is not possible, reusable alternatives are a good option.

Resources to help businesses

The Victorian Government has resources to help businesses adapt to the ban. These include:

Poster resources you can download and print, to help communicate the ban to your customers and staff, and to let your customers know you welcome reusable or BYO containers. These are available on the Business posters page of the Sustainability Victoria website.
Information packs and translated materials about the ban. These are available on the Reducing plastic pollution starts with us page of the Victorian Government website.

If you have any other questions about the ban, you can email [email protected] or call their dedicated hotline on 1800 844 946.

Plastic Free July

Every July, millions of people around the world choose to participate in Plastic Free July as a way to reduce their use of plastic. If you would like to get involved or to find out more about reducing plastic waste in your business, visit the Plastic Free July website.

Plastic free business pilot program

In 2022 we ran a pilot program with 18 food and hospitality businesses in Camberwell. This program helped these businesses reduce and remove single-use plastic items. We supported these businesses to replace items with reusable or sustainable options.

We partnered with the Boomerang Alliance and worked with the Camberwell Centre Traders Association to deliver the program.

We wanted to learn through this program how we can best support businesses in Boroondara to reduce their plastic use.

Participating businesses

The 18 Camberwell based businesses that participated in the plastic free pilot program were:

Results of pilot program

The 18 participating businesses achieved some great outcomes and made changes to best suit their business needs during the pilot program.

This includes:

removing more than 76,500 pieces of single-use plastic. This includes plastic straws, cutlery, water bottles, drink cups and lids, takeaway containers and more
trialling and sourcing sustainable options, and switching to reusable items such as glass for customers dining-in
encouraging customers to reduce their use of disposables and bring in their own reusable items, such as cups, containers, and bottles
learning how to ensure they are compliant with the Victorian Government single-use plastics ban, with most participating businesses becoming compliant before February
thinking about waste reduction and sustainability more broadly, and getting the tools to continue to improve their practices.

You can support and celebrate their achievements by shopping locally. Remember to take your reusable items with you when buying food and drinks, including things like: