Single-Use Plastics Draft By-Law

Consultation has concluded

Thank you for your contributions to the Single-Use Plastics Draft By-Law. Submissions have now closed.

Submissions will be reviewed to determine whether any changes to the by-law are needed. Once this analysis is done, a report with the final by-law, along with a copy of all the submissions will be presented to Council for endorsement.

After extensive community engagement and an overwhelming public response, the Hobart City Council voted on 4 March 2019 to propose a Draft Single-use Plastics By-Law, aiming to restrict the use of single-use plastic takeaway food packaging.

  • The City has the following aims in relation to single-use plastics:
    • To minimise the exposure of the community and the environment to the risks and harm associated with single-use plastic in takeaway food packaging.
    • To reduce the overall quantity of plastic litter arising from takeaway food retailing, and its long-term impacts.
    • To provide a stimulus for the development and uptake of innovative and sustainable takeaway food packaging solutions.
    • To align the practices of takeaway food retailers with growing community concern regarding the risks of single-use plastic in everyday life.

We ask that you examine the proposed by-law and regulatory impact statement and then provide your submission prior to 25 November 2019. As part of the process it is important that we collect personal details but these will remain private and confidential. Also for a submission to be considered (Under the Act) you must state the grounds of the submission and the facts relied upon in support of those grounds.


Thank you for your contributions to the Single-Use Plastics Draft By-Law. Submissions have now closed.

Submissions will be reviewed to determine whether any changes to the by-law are needed. Once this analysis is done, a report with the final by-law, along with a copy of all the submissions will be presented to Council for endorsement.

After extensive community engagement and an overwhelming public response, the Hobart City Council voted on 4 March 2019 to propose a Draft Single-use Plastics By-Law, aiming to restrict the use of single-use plastic takeaway food packaging.

  • The City has the following aims in relation to single-use plastics:
    • To minimise the exposure of the community and the environment to the risks and harm associated with single-use plastic in takeaway food packaging.
    • To reduce the overall quantity of plastic litter arising from takeaway food retailing, and its long-term impacts.
    • To provide a stimulus for the development and uptake of innovative and sustainable takeaway food packaging solutions.
    • To align the practices of takeaway food retailers with growing community concern regarding the risks of single-use plastic in everyday life.

We ask that you examine the proposed by-law and regulatory impact statement and then provide your submission prior to 25 November 2019. As part of the process it is important that we collect personal details but these will remain private and confidential. Also for a submission to be considered (Under the Act) you must state the grounds of the submission and the facts relied upon in support of those grounds.


Consultation has concluded

  • Project Background

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    During the course of 2018, officers from legal and governance, environmental health and cleansing and solid waste teams took the opportunity to undertake wide ranging consultation on the proposed by-law and conducted a range of complimentary activities.

    Consultation indicated consumers would welcome a reduction in single-use plastic and support businesses in moving away from non-compostable takeaway items.

    A survey was conducted on Your Say Hobart between February and March 2018 returning significant responses in favour of reducing the use of single-use plastic.

    • Of the 2,962 responses, 96% disagreed when asked “do you think it is appropriate to use single-use plastics?”
    • An overwhelming 90% said they were willing to pay more for food and drinks if it meant that sustainable packaging was used.
    • Survey responses indicated a sensitivity to how much more consumers would be willing to pay, with around two-thirds willing to pay up to 5% extra.
    • While a state government ban was perceived more favourably, 75% of surveyed participants felt that a local government ban would be an effective or highly effective way of getting more takeaway food businesses to use less single-use packaging.
    • A ban was perceived to be significantly more effective than the use of support and education.

  • Project Context

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    The by-law aims to restrict the use of single use plastic takeaway packaging. This is not an expansion on the statewide plastic bag-ban legislation, but a wholesale change aimed at achieving a reduction in usage of and a shift away from single use plastics.

    There is considerable public momentum for the reduction in availability of plastic products to reduce environmental impact. The City maintains a significant litter collection network including hundreds of stormwater litter traps and socks. These traps are already extremely effective in preventing marine pollution in general.

    Takeaway packaging is a major contributor to the litter stream in Tasmania. Data from the Environmental Protection Authority Tasmania indicates that up to 50% of the litter stream is comprised of paper and plastic takeaway rubbish.

    The Keep Australia Beautiful National Litter Index, which in 2015/2016 primarily focused on suburban areas of Hobart provides some insight into the composition of this litter. That year it found that approximately 16% of the litter items audited were plastic, but only 2.4% were plastic spoons/cutlery, straws, and plastic takeaway container and cups. Keep Australia’s 2016/2017 litter count also found that the amount of litter in Tasmania increased by 6% compared to the previous year.

    Compostable packaging is not considered to be a complete solution to litter. Only some of the compostable takeaway packaging currently on the market breaks down quickly in the environment. Solutions to litter lie in effective campaigns that lead to behavioural change which emphasise an overall reduction in packaging distribution and consumption, increased use of reusable packaging and as a final choice, utilising certified compostable packaging.

    The City has an exemplary record of showing leadership in the field of waste management and recycling and has set an ambitious overall goal towards zero waste to landfill by 2030 consistent with the City's waste strategy.