‘Ahead of the Pack’: Western Australia to Ban Non-Compostable Coffee Cups

Western Australia (WA) has become the first state in the country to ban non-compostable coffee cups as part of its effort to step away from single-use plastics and lids. The government estimated that the plan’s second stage will save an additional 700 million single-use items each year, with hot beverage cups accounting for more than 154 million of these items per annum. Compostable paperboard cups, certified to Australian composting standards, are excluded from the ban, while lids must now be entirely plastic free. Bans on several items, including microbeads and cotton bud sticks, came into effect in 2023, while sales of plastic produce bags and takeaway containers with lids will be prohibited from September....