In reply: It has been a very interesting and robust debate on the Environmental Legislation Amendment (Plastic Reduction and Container Recycling) Bill 2026. I thank the member for Albury, the member for Granville, the member for Tamworth, the member for Heathcote, the member for Northern Tablelands, the member for South Coast, the member for Sydney, the member for Mount Druitt and the member for Balmain for their contributions. I also thank the member for Newcastle, the member for Coogee, the member for Wollondilly, the member for Oxley, the member for Summer Hill, the member for Lake Macquarie, the member for Pittwater, the member for Parramatta, the member for Strathfield, the member for Liverpool, the member for Maitland and the member for Newtown. I acknowledge that the Minister for the Environment is in the gallery and I welcome her.
I briefly address a couple of the matters that were raised during debate. I note there has been quite a bit of concern about single-use coffee cups and a whole range of impacts on small business. On behalf of the Government, I make it clear that there will be small business carve-outs and exemptions, as well as support to comply, as there was under the earlier tranches of plastics reforms brought in by the previous Government. We are very excited to take action on an item that is a major landfill issue. One billion single-use cups go to landfill every year. The bill will help us move towards recyclability and re-use, sensibly, carefully and in partnership with industry.
I give two examples on that because it is important. During debate this afternoon, two examples were sent through to me. Staff at Single O cafe on Reservoir Street in Surry Hills tell me they have a cup library. It does not take up space because wire baskets are attached to one of the walls. Cups are cleaned by people in their offices and returned. Single O is a busy vibrant cafe with big queues for its caffeine. Good on them. Angus Olsen, a cafe owner and barista extraordinaire from CafeXpresso in Katoomba in my electorate of Blue Mountains, said:
… as someone who has run a takeaway cafe for 20 years I have some thoughts.
The main goal of this is to reduce microplastics in our environment, this is immensely important. I don't understand why anyone would oppose this. It'd be like campaigning to bring back leaded petrol and CFC's.
1.If you're a cafe who hasn't switched to biodegradable takeaway coffee cups you are years behind your industry.
2.If you don't make efforts to accommodate and encourage re-usable cups as part of your business you are almost a decade behind your industry.
3.If your cafe isn't already meeting the minimum food, plastic, paper waste management in contract with your waste supplier, you might as well be using that bin to put your cash into as well. That's a rookie mistake by people who own a cafe just because they like the idea of owning a cafe.
New South Wales is facing a waste crisis. I know people are struggling in your electorate of Oxley, Mr Temporary Speaker, but I am so glad it is you in the chair. Our landfills are filling quickly. Without intervention, soon people will not be able to reliably have their red kerbside bins collected. We need to do more to keep materials out of landfill and in use for longer by reducing the amount of waste we generate, increasing re-use and increasing recycling. The Government is committed to meeting that significant challenge. Part of that must be taking action on plastic waste.
Plastic is the most littered and least recycled material in the State. Many plastic items are used only once or twice before being discarded into landfill or littered in the environment, as we have heard so many members give examples of. That plastic can persist for centuries. We need to shift from an economy based on taking, using once and throwing away. Instead, we need to think about how to get the most value out of our resources. The Minns Labor Government is committed to designing out plastic waste in the first instance, and making it easier to re-use and recycle plastics where phase-outs cannot safely be achieved.
The bill is the first step. We recognise it will significantly impact the way some businesses operate. We are introducing the legislation now to give businesses and consumers time to prepare for the changes. We will continue to provide guidance and support to help businesses transition to the new requirements. The bill will play a very crucial role in overcoming the waste management challenges ahead. We are very proud to lead the way nationally on plastics reforms. Finally, I thank Minister Sharpe and her incredibly hardworking team, who have been here all afternoon. They were excited to hear the debate and listen to so many examples of the need for the bill. I also thank all the agencies and industry representatives who have pulled together. I commend the bill to the House but foreshadow that the Government will move some amendments.
