Among the single-use plastic products banned yesterday are those with additives that make them fragment into microplastics. Photo: 123RF
Plastics New Zealand is worried smaller companies will be unaware of the new product restrictions that came into effect yesterday.
Single-use polystyrene containers and cups and PVC meat trays are among the plastic products now banned from sale or manufacture in New Zealand.
Plastics NZ chief executive Rachel Barker said the new legislation was a positive step but worried there hadn't been enough warning.
She said smaller businesses might not be aware their products were no longer allowed.
"In terms of our local manufacturers, they're well ahead of the game; they've been moving away from these materials for a couple of years now, so are well prepared with alternative options.
"Our main concern at the moment is actually the number of companies that are unaware that the bans have hit."
Barker said Plastics NZ could be contacted for advice and help with recycling or disposing of the now-banned products.
Reliance on plastic needs to be tackled - researcher
An environmental researcher said banning hard-to-recycle plastics was a good step, but the recycling system itself remained largely ineffective.
Alex Aves, a PhD student at the University of Canterbury who discovered the presence of microplastics in Antarctic snow, said more needed to be done to reduce reliance on plastic.
"We still have this perception that recycling is the answer, which unfortunately ... it isn't."
Aves said 79 percent of all plastics produced ended up as waste - either in landfills or elsewhere in the environment.
"Our recycling processes just are currently really ineffective, especially here in New Zealand."
Degradable plastics that break into tiny particles but don't decompose are also now banned - a move Aves welcomed as she said the global microplastics problem remained significant.
"[Those products are] marketed that they degrade quickly and that that's a positive thing, but the reality of it is that they do just break down and have the exact same effects that any other plastic has."
Degradeable plastic products could also enter the recycling system, where they caused contamination, so removing them from the waste stream altogether was the right move, she said.
Items covered by the latest ban
The following products can no longer be sold, made or given away to customers:
- Polystyrene takeaway packaging for food and beverages
- Expanded polystyrene food and beverage retail packaging (eg foam takeaway containers or some instant noodle cups)
- PVC food trays and containers for meat, produce and baked items
- Plastics with additives that make them fragment into microplastics
- Single use plastic drink stirrers
- Single use plastic use cotton buds
Some exceptions exist, including for medical, veterinary or scientific uses, and PVC plastic that is formed, filled with food and sealed on the same factory line.
The latest restrictions follow a 2019 ban on single-use plastic bags.
In mid 2023, the next group of single-use plastics to be phased out will include plates, bowls, cutlery, produce bags and non-compostable produce labels.
Further details about what products can and cannot be made or used can be found on the Ministry for the Environment's website.