Aestra was engaged by ACT No Waste within the ACT Transport Canberra and City Services Directorate (TCCS) to develop a single-use plastics discussion paper to support community and industry engagement on the proposed
single-use plastic reforms.

In 2019, the ACT Government commenced discussions with the community and industry on reducing the use of single-use plastics in the ACT to protect our environment. Single-use plastics create challenges for our environment and waste management systems and, at the time, community concern about plastic waste was at an all-time high. Internationally, and across Australia, there was community pressure for governments and companies to do more to address the issues and challenges associated with single-use plastic.

The Phasing Out Single-use Plastics Discussion Paper was published for a period of six weeks in mid-2019 for community and industry feedback. The discussion paper resulted in unprecedented levels of engagement through the consultation period. All feedback was used to inform subsequent policy and ultimately the Plastic Reduction Bill 2020.

Photo credit: Naja Bertolt Jensen, 2021.