South Australia Bans Fish-Shaped Soy Sauce Bottles to Tackle Plastic Waste

Wellington, Sep 1 (AP) In a bid to combat plastic waste, South Australia has enacted a ban on the plastic soy sauce bottles commonly shaped like fish, beloved by many takeout sushi customers across several countries. Starting Monday, restaurants in the state of South Australia will no longer be allowed to provide these decorative containers.

South Australia, with a population of 1.9 million, leads Australia in taking decisive steps against plastic waste with the most comprehensive measures in the nation. The fish-shaped bottles are the latest items on the state's expanding list of banned plastics, which began with the prohibition of single-use plastic shopping bags in 2009.

Environmental Concerns over Fish-Shaped Bottles The specific targeting of these fishy containers might seem unusually particular, yet officials emphasize their detrimental environmental impact. Deputy Premier Susan Close explained that these tiny bottles are “easily dropped, blown away, or washed into drains,” potentially being mistaken for food by marine life once they reach the ocean.

Even when collected in recycling bins, the bottles are “too small to be captured by sorting machinery” and frequently end up in landfills or as stray plastic in the environment. The new regulation requires restaurants to switch to larger bottles, refillable condiment containers, or single-use alternatives deemed less harmful, like sachets, squeezable packs, or compostable vessels.

The ban applies to any fish-shaped or rectangular containers with lids, caps, or stoppers that hold under 30 milliliters of soy sauce.

Banning Other Plastic Items Additional items have also been prohibited starting Monday, including cutlery or straws attached to food packaging, such as those plastic-wrapped straws found with juice boxes. Since adjusting the law in 2021, South Australia has continued to eliminate various forms of plastic, including plastic cutlery, straws, and numerous types of takeout packaging and single-use coffee cups. Also banned are plastic balloon sticks, confetti, and Q-Tips.

The Environment Protection Authority of South Australia enforces the law, with penalties ranging from warnings to prosecution. The next intended ban targets stickers on fresh produce, scheduled for 2025, though this has been delayed due to concerns from producers about increased costs and supply chain disruptions.

Global Efforts and Challenges Globally, various countries have adopted measures to reduce plastic usage. In 2023, New Zealand claimed to be the first to implement a nationwide ban on thin plastic produce bags in grocery stores. Meanwhile, Lagos, Nigeria, implemented a prohibition on single-use plastics in July, with mixed results.

Despite significant efforts, plastic use has skyrocketed this century, leading to severe environmental degradation. According to the United Nations Environment Programme, equivalent to about 2,000 garbage trucks of plastic waste are dumped into global waterways daily. Alarmingly, approximately 85% of single-use plastic ends up in landfills or is mismanaged.

Efforts to establish a binding global treaty on plastic pollution stalled in August due to a lack of consensus. Plastics, derived from fossil fuels like oil, face substantial opposition from oil-producing nations against production limitation measures in any proposed agreements. (AP)

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