ACT cafes shun ban weeks after plastic straws are added to prohibited list

Bubble tea stores and fast-food chains still hand out hundreds of plastic straws a day in Canberra, despite no exemptions being granted when the ban was introduced on July 1.

Artisan owner Charlie Chen said the ban should be aimed at suppliers, not consumers.

Mr Chen said a ban aimed at the top of the chain would have a much bigger impact, driving down the price of plastic alternatives.

The CBD coffee shop has continued providing plastic straws with the small number of cold drinks it serves, with an estimated two years of stock to get through.

"We're mostly making coffee," Mr Chen said. "Hopefully we can get through the straws when there's more demand for cold drinks."

The ACT government has taken a gentle approach to the ban, with no fines issued for non-compliance throughout July.

Staff from the National Retail Association will visit businesses later this month to ensure they're aware of their obligations under the ban.

"The ACT government is taking an education-first approach to support businesses through the transition," a government spokesperson said.

Retailers have been given the green light to stock plastic straws under ACT legislation, provided they are for people with a disability.

Anthony Brierley, General Manager at Australian Hotels Association ACT, said the territory should've gone the way of Queensland and introduced a blanket ban, putting the onus on those who require a straw to carry one.

Mr Brierley said it's not reasonable to expect servers to judge whether someone requires a plastic straw, meaning anyone who asks will be given one.

"I think the government had to weigh up competing views from different stakeholders, and the government elected to choose a model that was favoured by the disability community. It makes it more complex at the moment for businesses to comply," he said.

"But I'm hopeful that, at a point in the future, businesses will not stock plastic straws and over time, people who require a plastic straw will elect to use personal responsibility and take a straw with them."

The National Retail Association has called on the federal government to facilitate consistency on the phase-out of single-use plastics, pointing to 18 separate single-use plastic items being phased out across eight jurisdictions.

Mr Brierley said he believes it's important the territory makes its own laws and works at its own pace.

"I don't want to peg ourselves to a jurisdiction that's been too slow on this," he said.

"If Victoria, or the Northern Territory or whatever other state or territory don't want to act as fast as Canberra, that's their problem.

"Canberra should be at the front of the queue on this and for most of the announcements and implementation it has been."

Cotton buds and dog poo bags made from oxo-degradable plastics were also included in the latest ACT single-use plastics ban last month. It builds on the ban of single-use plastic cutlery, stirrers, polystyrene takeaway food and beverage containers in 2021 and most single-use plastic shopping bags in 2011.

Environmental groups have criticised the ACT government for walking back the ban on fruit and vegetable bags in supermarkets, which should've been phased out with straws on July 1.

The decision was made after retail organisations raised concerns about the cost of alternative products, the disposal of compostable bags without a suitable industrial composting facility and the time required to implement an alternative, a spokesperson said.

Coles has since announced its decision to trial a ban on fruit and vegetable bags in its 12 ACT stores from next month.

That is despite there being no new date from government for an ACT-wide ban.

"The ACT government will maintain engagement with industry to encourage preparation for a future ban ready for the new large-scale composting facility becoming operational," a government spokesperson said.

Shadow Minister for Environment Nicole Lawder said the Canberra Liberals supported the phase-out of single-use plastics in the ACT.

"The ACT government must support businesses through these changes and listen to concerns when they are raised," she said.

"Businesses only generate a small portion of waste in the ACT and there is certainly more the ACT government can be doing in other areas to promote positive recycling habits and reduce waste."

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