The Plastic Reduction and Circular Economy Act 2021 No 31 was introduced in the Legislative Assembly with a second-reading speech by Matt Kean on 20 October 2021 and assented to on 29 November 2021. Lightweight plastic shopping bags were banned from 1 June 2022, the first day of the month six months after assent, and from 1 November 2022 single-use plastic straws, stirrers, cutlery, plates, bowls, cotton buds, expanded polystyrene food-service items and rinse-off products containing microbeads.
The New South Wales (NSW) Plastics Plan 2.0 stages further bans from 2026 to 2030, and the Environmental Legislation Amendment (Plastic Reduction and Container Recycling) Bill 2026 (second reading by Trish Doyle, 24 March 2026) passed the Legislative Assembly on 3 June 2026 and was agreed by the Legislative Council. It provides for design standards and a requirement to accept customers' reusable cups from 1 January 2028, with the first new item bans, including bags with handles of any thickness and EPS loose fill, slated for 2027.
Status as at September 2026: 2022 bans in force; no further ban has commenced. Dates verified against the Plastic Reduction and Circular Economy Act 2021 No 31 (legislation.nsw.gov.au) and the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) Plastics Plan 2.0 on 23 September 2026.